Together We Stand
by 99bottlestogo
Summary: Jamie Pendragon is one of the last living heirs of Arthur Pendragon along with her twin brother Luka. This year is a special year for them for they're finally starting at Hogwarts for the first time and its said that they're to be in the same class as the famous Harry Potter. Follow Jamie's story as she finally ventures out into the wizarding world and the perils within.
1. The Day Everything Changed

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is by J.K. Rowling.

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><p>Sometimes we don't know that the day you wake up will be the most important day of your life. That's what I didn't know would happen today. I knew that today was important, but I didn't know that it would change the face of my future. Luckily, I didn't know what was going to happen back then.<p>

As the saying goes hindsight is twenty-twenty. Personally I don't think I'd ever give up a moment of it.

1-The Day Everything Changed

Come on… come on! The second hand finally reaches the twelve, and the clock starts ringing its alarm. Yes! My hand is smashing down on the alarm, before it goes for three seconds. Today's the day! I can't believe it's finally here! I've been waiting for this day since I was old enough to understand about school!

I throw my covers off, and jam my feet into my slippers, skidding across the room to my clothes, that I laid out on my dresser. Finally, today I am going to go to the one place on earth that I can be who I am, Hogwarts! I practically skip into the bathroom slamming the door behind me. I throw the lock, and go about getting ready for the day.

I hum a tune in the shower, scrubbing away merrily, thrilled beyond words for what is to come. When I'm finished, and changed, I stand in front of the mirror looking at my reflection. My light honey brown hair reaches my shoulders, and light blue eyes adorn my face. I grin at my reflection satisfied with what I see.

I open the door to the bathroom, and I'm greeted with the sight of my brother sleepily leaning against the doorjamb. "Morning Luka!" I greet him, giving him a dazzling smile. Luka stretches his arms above his light brown head, and yawns.

"Bloody hell Jamie, no one should be so cheery at this time." He answers with another yawn. I just grin at my twin, as he rubs his bleary grey eyes. He pushes into the Lou, and shuts the door behind him. Luka and I look a lot alike for twins, nearly identical just different being a boy and a girl.

I clamor down the stairs, and skid into the kitchen. The smells of a wonderful breakfast greet my nose. Standing in front of the stove, with wand brandished was my guardian Kingsley Shacklebolt. My smile grew at the sight of him. Ever since I was a toddler Kingsley has been a father to my brother and me.

Even though we're not related to him by blood, he still cares for us deeply. He's the only family that we have left, and we're the only family that he has. "Morning Kingsley!" I announce, sliding across the tile floor, and getting up on my tiptoes, so that I can kiss his cheek. Even with the extra height he still has to stoop down to meet me.

A low rumbly chuckle greets me. "Good morning Jamie, I see that you're in good spirits today." Kingsley's low voice says. I grin up at my guardian.

"Of course! Today is the first! You know what that means! Hogwarts!" I cry spreading my arms out, and giving a spin. He laughs, and shakes his baldhead at me.

"I honestly don't know where you get this energy from little one, and yes I do know that today is the day you go to school." Kingsley assures me. I grin at him, and bounce over to my seat. A few minutes later Luka shuffles into the room with a big yawn.

"Morning…" He greets trailing off at the end. I can't believe that he's still half asleep! Kingsley smiles at my brother, and brings over two plates of pancakes, with eggs and sausages. He sets them down in front of us with pumpkin juice.

"Good morning Luka! Are you two ready to go to Hogwarts today?" He asks the pair of us, sitting down at the table with his own food. I nod my head vigorously, and Luka grins at Kingsley.

"'Course! I can't wait to start Transfiguration, I can't wait until I can turn my desk into an animal!" Luka crows, his sleepy eyes turning excited at the prospect of learning more magic. Kingsley grins at Luka, and I roll my eyes. Why did I have to get stuck in the family of brainy people?

Not that I'm not smart or anything, it's just that I have other priorities as well. I can't wait to make friends and find out what house I'm going to be in. "An admirable thought. So, are the two of you packed?" He questions raising an eyebrow at us.

"Are you kidding? I've been packed since yesterday! This is going to be amazing! I can't wait to see the castle!" I gush, while my brother nods along. The two of us have been looking forward to going to school for a long time.

"Kingsley? Are we going to learn what our parents knew?" Luka asks softly, leveling his gaze at the plate. I feel my excitement for the day drift away as I focus on my guardian. He runs his big hand over his head, and lets out a soft sigh.

"Of course. You're parents were two of the strongest and smartest wizards I've ever seen. Your father was brilliant at potions, and your mum was a whiz at DADA and Transfiguration. By the time the two of you are through school, you'll be just as sharp as they were." He tells us.

I feel warm hearing about my parents. They died when we were really young. I can sort of remember them; I was three at the time. Kingsley has pictures of them around the house for us, and we look a lot like them. We finish the rest of our breakfast in a subdued silence.

Before I know it its time to go and get ready for the train. Kingsley helps Luka and me get our trunks down the steps, and loads them into the back of our muggle car. We're going to be driving to Kings Cross today, so that we can blend in with all the other muggles, not just show up in the middle of the platform.

Luka has his cat Sophocles' container on his lap. The black cat is lying down for the moment, with one orange eye open and staring at me. It could be because Dionysus my tawny barn owl is in his cage on my lap. Di gives a soft hoot of warning to the fur ball. You tell him Di.

When we pull up to the station, I feel my heart rate start to speed up. I can't believe that it's finally time! I don't think that I can contain my excitement now! Kingsley gets our trunks onto two trolleys, and places Sophocles and Dionysus on top of them. Luka and I follow Kingsley pushing our carts, and eyeing everything.

I don't know how we're going to be able to find platform 9 ¾ in all of this mess. There are hundreds of people running about, and folks are giving us odd looks because of Di. Finally we come to a stop at one of the concrete dividers between platforms nine and ten.

"Okay now, how you get on the platform is simple. You take your cart and run straight at the wall, you'll come out on the other side at the platform. Okay Luka you first." Kingsley instructs. I give my brother and encouraging smile, as he fidgets nervously.

"It's just magic." He mumbles under his breath, and he races through the barrier, and disappears. I feel a smile playing on my lips.

"Wicked!" I cry. Kingsley chuckles from behind me.

"All right, your turn Jamie. I'll be right behind you." Kingsley promises. I nod, and take a deep breath. I kick off, and shoot at the barrier, squeezing my eyes closed, as I come in contact with the wall. I don't crash though. I open my eyes again, and in front of me in a crowded platform full of witches and wizards, dropping kids off, and getting on the train.

I don't think that my grin could get any wider. "This is totally amazing! I wonder what magic the barrier is made up of?" Luka murmurs to my right. I roll my eyes at him, and laugh, when Kingsley comes through. He smiles at the two of us, and claps a hand down on both of our shoulders.

"Come now let's get you both squared away. The train will be leaving in a few minutes, and best be assured that you have a compartment to stay in." He replies. Kingsley helps us get the trunks up the train, and into an empty compartment. "Okay now. I want the two of you to have a great term. Send me letters to let me know how you're doing all right? I understand a little mischief, but I don't want to be getting letters every week from your head of house complaining okay?" He says. We both murmur our assent.

Kingsley gives us a sad smile, and pulls us to him in a tight loving hug. I wrap my arm around his shoulder, and squeeze him with all my might. I'm going to miss him despite everything. "One last thing, don't worry about which house you'll end up in. I'll love you no matter what. Luka, remember to relax. Jamie, try to stay out of trouble." Kingsley pleads. With that he turns and exits the train.

Luka and I exchange a look, and scramble over to the window, pulling it down. "Bye Kingsley! Love you!" I cry sticking my head out the window, waving my arm. He turns around and laughs, and brilliant smile lighting up his face.

"See ya Kingsley! We promise to write! I'll remind Jamie!" Luka calls after him. I turn and glare at my brother, punching his arm. He yelps, and rubs his arm shooting me cross looks as the train starts to pull away. I push up the window, and plop down into my seat across from him.

"Just let me say ow! That hurt Jamie! I was only telling him the truth. You'll forget to write to him the minute we arrive." Luka accuses, jutting out his lower lip and rubbing the sore spot. I roll my eyes at him and sigh.

"Come on Luka, you can't tell me that you're not excited about seeing Hogwarts! It's going to be brilliant. I'm sure of it!" I cry, turning my gaze out the window.

"Whatever Jamie, I'll start freaking out as soon as we arrive. Besides, we still have eight hours on the train until then." He tells me, and promptly pulls out a thick textbook from his bag. I groan, and collapse back on my seat. I love school and all but I'm not obsessed with learning as he is.

I pull out my wand and start idly shooting sparks out of it. Before I can open my mouth to complain to Luka, the compartment door slides open, and a pale thin-faced boy enters. Two burly boys flank him, and I instantly feel my caution rise. "This must be some year. Is it true that you two are Pendragons?" He demands.

Luka lowers his book, and analyzes the boy in front of us. "Our last names are yes. I'm Luka Pendragon and that's my sister Jamie Pendragon." Luka introduces us, yet doesn't offer the boy his hand. Good boy, I don't like the looks of this kid. A smile breaks out on the boy's face, and he smooths back his already slickened blond hair.

"The name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He introduces, sticking his hand out for us to shake. Malfoy I've heard of him before. Kingsley always complains about what a rotten snake his father is. From the looks of it Draco isn't much better. My brother cautiously shakes his hand, and I ignore Draco all together.

"You know, there are all sorts of people walking around at Hogwarts, and I'd hate to see you two get mixed up with people below your own stature." He remarks smiling at the two of us. I instantly frown at him. Merlin, he's another one of those blood purist freaks. I don't think that I could stand that.

"Every magical person is good enough to become friends with its, just the personality that you have to look out for. Frankly, I don't like yours. I can't speak for my brother here, but I for one will never be your friend with that sort of attitude. And for you information, I'm a half blood." I state. Malfoy's charming smile reverts to a caustic sneer.

"See here. You don't want to be going and making enemies with me Pendragon. My father has friends in high places, I can make you life at Hogwarts miserable." He threatens. I jump to my feet, and pull my wand out of my pocket. I brandish it in front of me, and Luka is by my side in a second.

Gone is my brother's neutral look, and now it's replaced with cold fury. "Don't you dare threaten my sister Malfoy! She speaks for the two of us. Get going, we don't need the likes of you around here." Luka growls then thrusts his wand underneath Draco's chin.

He scowls at the two of us. "This isn't over. You'll see, you'll come around to our side eventually!" He calls after him. He pushes out of the compartment only to stop at the sight of a girl standing there. I groan mentally.

"What are you looking at freak?" He spits leaving the compartment finally. The girl scowls after him, and turns to our compartment. She steps inside, and closes the door behind her.

"I was wondering where the two of you were. Great speech by the way, I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, it was sort of like the one I just gave him a few minutes ago. I guess that great minds think alike." She says, clapping slowly. I roll my eyes and collapse back onto the seat.

"Hey Ariana!" Luka cries excitedly. I groan, and close my eyes forcefully. I don't need to watch my brother fawn all over Ariana Dumbledore. Just because she's the youngest Dumbledore, and her grandfather is the Headmaster, does not mean that she's the greatest person ever.

"Hello Luka! How was your summer after I last saw you?" She asks him politely.

"Great, Kingsley took us on vacation to the beach! We saw this giant turtle it was totally awesome. Then again I'm sure that your grandfather took you on some great adventures." Luka rambles, a light blush adorning his cheeks. I sigh, and shake my head at him.

Ariana is nice, but she won't give him the time of the day. I don't know why he likes her so much. "That's sounds like loads of fun Luka. My summer wasn't bad either. Grandfather was rather busy near the end, but he did manage to take me with him to the Puddlemere United v. Tutshill Tornados game. That was a real blast." Ariana replies.

I hope that she's done being cordial, and will leave, but unfortunately luck does not seem to be on my side today. "What about you Jamie? Was your summer fantastic?" She questions. I bite my lower lip, and mull over what to say.

"Was okay." I mumble. I lift my gaze to meet hers for a second. She's staring at me with that smile, and it makes me shift uneasily. Her brown eyes are soothing and cheerful; she never seems to stop smiling. I don't understand what makes her so happy all the time.

She pushes a strand of her golden hair out of her face, and sits down next to me. I shift a little farther down from her. I stare determinedly at my lap while Ariana and Luka chat for a few more minutes. Suddenly I feel someone slide right up next to me.

I can feel breath against my ear. "I know that you don't like me that much Jamie." Ariana whispers. "I'm going to change that though. We're going to be friends, mark my words. You're going to like me one of these days." She breathes. I spin my head around to retort, but she's already up, and at the compartment door.

"That's likely." I mutter. Luka glares at me from across the compartment.

"I don't know what's your problem. Ariana is a nice girl. She's never hurt anyone, and everyone likes her. You just have to give her a chance Jamie. Ariana isn't stuck up as most of the privileged kids that we know." Luka says pulling out his thick tome again. I moan, and mentally kick myself.

Why can't I ever act normal around that girl? As much as I hate to say it, Luka is probably right, but hey, a girl can have her hang-ups can't she? "Anything off the trolley dears?" The food cart witch asks us. I perk up immediately, and even Luka manages to shut his book.

We grin at each other, and pull out our galleons. Three minutes later we have an armful of treats, and we're set for the trip. I rip open a chocolate frog, and catch the creature, before it manages to make its escape. I bite of a foot and chew the chocolate, as my brother bites off the head of his.

I shudder as I watch the poor chocolate amphibian fake die over and over again. "Seriously that's disgusting. Why bite the head first, it's inhumane." I cry. Luka grins at me, and stuffs the rest of the frog into his mouth. I take another bite of mine and look down at the card that I've obtained.

I can't help but snicker at my find. "What is it?" Luka asks finally swallowing. He gets up and plops down next to me to see.

"It's rather ironic that the Pendragon twins have now obtained the Merlin card. I think that the universe is trying to tell us something." I muse. Luka groans and shoves his head into his hands.

"Is it seriously going to be like that all year? It's not like we've even done anything. It was our ancestors. We can't help it if we were related to Arthur now can we?" He cries, throwing his hands up into the air. I sigh knowing that it will take a while for the news to spread, and rumors to settle down.

My brother Luka and I are the remaining two members of the noble and proud Pendragon family dating way back to the time of Merlin, and King Arthur. People always seem to freak out when they find that out. The funny thing is that there are actual wizarding royal families out there, we just don't happen to be one of them.

After Merlin and Arthur we relinquished the throne and lived out our lives as advisors and commoners, until we're now the same as everyone else, just a tad more famous. I finish my frog with a sigh, and turn to the Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans. I open the top, and Luka sticks his hand into it.

I don't know why my brother even bothers to eat them anymore; he always seems to have horrible luck with them. He pulls out a yellow colored one, and bites into it cautiously. Immediately his face screws up, and he spits out the candy. "What is it this time?" I question.

"Margarine. You'd think I would get something better after a while." He grumbles. I pick out a bean and pop it into my mouth. "Well what is it then?" He prompts.

"Chicken flavored, oh Merlin now I want actual food." I groan. Luka laughs, and returns to his seat across from me.

"Nothing I can do about that. We'll be there shortly." He replies. I close my eyes, and try to think about anything else besides the food. The compartment door slides open yet again, and I bite back my growl of aggravation.

"Hello there, have either of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one, and I have agreed to help him out." A girl's voice comes from the doorway. I open my eyes to see a bushy haired girl stand there, with front teeth that are slightly too large for her face.

She's already dressed in her robes, and her arms are crossed in front of her chest. "Nope sorry no toad here, only a few snakes and an extremely perky girl." I report. Luka flashes me an amused expression.

"What my dear sister is trying to say, is that we will keep our eyes open in case we happen to come across a toad. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name." Luka says, standing up and addressing the girl head on. This seems to shock her slightly, and I can't bite back the grin on my face.

"Hermione Granger, I'm a first year." She responds. Luka smiles at her, and shakes her hand.

"Luka Pendragon Hermione. I'll be sure to keep a look out, as will Jamie. We're first years as well, and I'll look forward to seeing you in class." He tells her. Hermione flushes slightly, and extracts her hand from his grip.

"I know about you two. Your family is extremely old and talented. It's a pleasure to meet you, but I've got to go find that toad. You should put your robes on as well, we're arriving shortly." She stammers. With that she turns and flees the compartment. I let out a snort of laughter as soon as the door closes behind her.

"Why do you insist on putting every other girl off guard? You're playing with them Luka. You're no more interested in a girl at the moment, then I am with a boy." I finish flatly. I do feel bad about him doing that to the girl. All she did was stick her head into the compartment, not ask for an heirloom of Merlin's.

Luka harrumphs, and plops down on his seat again. "I'm tired of people interrupting me. This whole trip I've only been able to get two paragraphs in, and I really wanted to get this book done, before we reached the castle." He grumbles. After that I wait out in the corridor as Luka changes.

As soon as he's done I change into my school uniform as well. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the whole wearing a skirt thing, but I guess that small sacrifices like that could be made to attend a school like Hogwarts. I let my brother back in, and we both pressed up close against the window.

I could see a lit up station coming in through the distance. Suddenly my nerves started acting up. "Luka…" I start but trail off. My brother turns his gaze to me, and his expression becomes worried.

"What's wrong Jamie?" Luka asks.

"What happens if we get put into separate houses? Will we still hang out? I don't want to lose you… you're my brother, my twin." I admit my worries softly. Luka smiles at me softly, and moves over next to me. He wraps his arm around me, and I burrow my face into his shoulder.

"Even if one of us is Slytherin and the other is Gryffindor, we'd still be best friends Jamie. Stupid house pride issues will never tear us apart. Besides, we knew that we'd probably be in different houses going into this." He tells me. I nod my head, and sigh.

"Okay, as long as we promise to still make some time for each other. Be warned though, neither of us are going to be put into Slytherin, we're just too impure for that." I giggle. Luka breaks out into a laugh as well. The train starts slowing down, and my nerves come back. Judging by the look of my brother, he's nervous as well.

Once the train stops, we take a deep breath and step onto the platform. All our trunks and animals will be transported to our rooms for us. Luka grabs my hand so that we can stay together in the sea of students that swarm the platform.

"Firs' Years over here! Firs' Years over here! Come on now hurry up!" A huge giant of a man bellows from the far side of the platform. Luka and I make our way over to him, and our mouths drop in astonishment. He's really a giant! The enormous man looks down and gives a smile at the two of us.

"Hello there Jamie Luka. Have a good trip?" He questions. I blink in shock. He knows who we are?

"You know us?" Luka manages to get out. Hagrid laughs, and smiles at us. I have a feeling that I'm going to like this man for some reason.

"'Course I know you two. You're rather famous 'round here." He replies. Great. "Come along now! No dawdlin'!" He cries. The group of first years clamor down the slope behind him, and after a few minutes of slipping and sliding in the dark, we come to the bank of a lake.

"Four to a boat now!" Hagrid calls. Luka and I push forward and climb into a boat after two boys. The lamplight gives me a quick look at their faces.

"Hello there." Luka says. The boys turn to face us. The one on the right has flaming red hair, and a long nose with freckles on his face. There's a dirt smudge on his nose, and his blue eyes stare at us in shock. The boy on the left has black hair that's laying in every direction, and circular glasses. Behind those glasses are brilliant jade green eyes.

"Hey I'm Ron. Ron Weasley. Wait… I know who you are!" The redheaded boy cries. I flinch slightly. Can't we catch a break?

"Um I'm Harry. Excuse Ron, he has a problem with meeting new people." The black haired boy tells us. I grin at that. Luka stiffens beside me.

"You're Harry Potter right?" He asks softly. Harry goes red at that, and mumbles something, nodding his head. "Sorry about that mate, I was just shocked is all. My name is Luka Pendragon." My brother says sticking his hand out for both boys to shake. Ron's eyes widen even further if possible.

"Jamie Pendragon this lug's sister." I introduce myself shaking their hands as well. Harry gives me a smile, and Ron still looks like he's been hit over the head with a club. That's when the boat starts moving, and we're skimming across the water, and we all fall silent.

A few minutes later the castle comes into view. Gasps and awes can be heard all across the lake. The castle is magnificent. No words come close to describing it. White spires stretch up into the sky, and each of the windows are lit up. Wow, I'm going to be living here for the school year!

"Duck yer heads!" Hagrid calls. I duck my head down low, as we come across the cliffs. The boats reach the shore, and we start our climb up the stairs to the castle.


	2. The Sorting Hat

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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><p><span>2-The Sorting Hat<span>

Standing in front of Professor McGonagall is probably one of the scariest things that I've ever had to do. That's including the time that I got caught by Kingsley wandering around the Minister of Magic's office when I was seven. The Minister was with him at the time, and he thought that it was all in good fun.

Of course perfect little Luka had stayed by their side the entire time. What can I say though, I got bored and decided to look around. McGonagall clears her throat, and looks down at all of us. "Good evening and welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She greets us.

Professor McGonagall has a stern expression on her face, and her black hair is tied back in a tight bun. She's wearing emerald robes, and a pointed witches hat. "We are about to begin the sorting ceremony, the most important part of your first year. There are four houses at Hogwarts; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

"These four house have different characteristics, and will be your home for the next seven years, and the students within them, your family. Your successes will bring them points, and your indiscretions will take them away. The ceremony will begin shortly, so try to make yourselves presentable." She finishes, turning, and exiting the small chamber off the Great Hall.

All of us are shifting nervously now. That speech didn't really help any. Now I'm more nervous than ever. I bite down on my lower lip, and glance over at my brother, who is tapping his foot. I reach out and grab his hand, giving it a squeeze. Harry and Ron are mumbling about some test with a troll, to sort us into houses. I turn to them and try to smile reassuringly.

"Hey don't worry, I'm sure you both will do brilliantly. Besides, they wouldn't make us fight a troll on our first day… would they?" I ask. Ron looks a little better, and Harry smiles at me thankfully.

"Jamie right?" He asks. I nod my head, and smile back at him in return. "You know, I think we could be friends." He tells me. My heart makes a small leap in my chest.

"R-really? Y-you want to be friends with me?" I ask stunned. My brother and I don't really have any friends past Ariana, and she's really only Luka's friend. All the other kids we've been around are diplomat's kids and purebloods.

"Why wouldn't I?" He questions. The smile still hasn't left his face, and I slowly feel a grin start to creep onto mine.

"Sure friends." I tell him shaking his hand. Harry smile grows, and he pulls me into the conversation that he and Ron were having. I notice out of the corner of my eye, that my brother is talking to Ariana, but he hasn't left my side. Professor McGonagall comes back into the room, and everyone goes quiet, trying to deal with their nerves.

"We are ready for you now. If you will make a line, and follow me, the sorting ceremony will begin." She announces to us. I fall into place behind Harry and Ron, with Luka next to me. Ariana is behind us with another girl. Professor McGonagall opens the door, and I'm in awe.

I have never seen such a grand room before. I can't believe that such a place exists. The ceiling is the night sky, and candles float overhead the four long tables, that are full with students. There are banners signifying each house at the end of the long table.

The girl Hermione Granger is telling everyone that the ceiling is enchanted to look like the night sky outside. She read all about it in Hogwarts a History. We come to a stop at the front of the hall, and I swallow nervously. Sitting before us is an old ratty looking wizard's hat, on a three-legged stool.

The hat bursts out into song about how, it's a thinking cap, and that it can sort us all. It describes the four houses quickly, Hufflepuff for the loyal and true, Ravenclaw for the wise, Gryffindor for the brave and bold, and Slytherin for the cunning and ambitious. When the hat is done, the hall breaks out into applause. Once it's quiet again, Professor McGonagall unrolls a scroll.

"When I call out your name, step forward, and place the hat upon your head. Abbott, Hannah." She calls. A little girl with blond pigtails rushes forward, and stumbles to the seat, putting the hat upon her head nervously.

"This is all? I'm going to kill Fred and George, they had me thinking that we'd have to fight a troll!" Ron hisses. I let out a low chuckle.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat announces. The table on the far right breaks out into cheers. Hannah takes off the hat and gives a cheerful relieved smile, and runs to her table.

"Bones, Susan." Professor McGonagall calls. An auburn haired girl steps up, and sits down with the hat on her head. She only takes about a minute.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat cries. The Hufflepuff table roars its approval again, and Susan hurries over.

"Dumbledore, Ariana." The professor announces. The hall falls silent, and whispers start-up. I shift nervously, and step aside so that she can pass. Ariana shoots me a grateful look, and steps up to the stool, allowing the hat to be placed on her head. The Headmaster leans forward in his seat to get a better look at his granddaughter.

It is silent for a few minutes, and I begin to get worried. Is she okay? Wait, why am I worried again? Suddenly the hat opens its mouth. I swear that I could hear the end of a chuckle coming from it. "Gotta be Hufflepuff!" The hat shouts. The Hufflepuff table is going absolutely wild, while the other tables groan. Ariana hands the hat back, and smiles at the rest of us, before calmly walking to her table and new house.

The headmaster is smiling broadly, and clapping furiously. Most of the kids look confused for they assume that Hufflepuff is a duffer house. I think that they're wrong though, as much as I hate to admit it, Ariana is smart, and the house she belongs to wouldn't be lame.

A few more students get sorted going into the other three houses. I tune out until a name I recognize is called. "Granger, Hermione." McGonagall reads. Hermione runs forward and practically jambs the hat down onto her head. Two minutes later the hat comes to a conclusion.

"Gryffindor!" It hollers. The table next to Hufflepuff gives a loud cheer, and Hermione smiles happily before running off.

"Malfoy, Draco." The professor says. The smarmy git saunters up to the stool even though he looks a little nervous. Before the hat even touches his slick head it has an answer.

"Slytherin!" It declares. The table on the far left breaks out into cheers and Malfoy prowls away with a satisfied smirk on his face. Of course he was going to end up there. I give Harry a nudge and smile at him reassuringly, for he's looking particularly pale. He smiles at me faintly, and I feel better.

Before I know it, it's my turn. "Pendragon, Jamie." Professor McGonagall reads. She looks up from her list, and appraises me. The hall has burst out into excited whispers. When I sit on the chair, she gives me a small smile. I lower the old hat onto my head, and the brim drops over my eyes.

_Ah yes. I was wondering when I was going to get you. A Pendragon, this is certainly an interesting year. My what a smart mind as smart as her parents. _

_ '__You knew my parents?'_

_Yes two of the sharpest, kindest, and bravest people I've ever met. Your father had some arrogance issues, and your mother a quick temper, but great people. Now even though you're sharp like them, you have an unruliness about you that wouldn't fit well in Ravenclaw. You're fiercely loyal, but don't trust easily so Hufflepuff wouldn't be right. _

_You're cunning but your inherent goodness would not fit in with the Slytherin house. Oh! But what bravery you have. My you are probably one of the most courageous, daring, and noble people I've seen for one so young. You're a tad reckless, but you'll be able to temper it off, there's only one place for you! You're just like your mother…_

"Better be Gryffindor!" The hat yells out. The Gryffindor table thunders its approval of getting me into their house. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses applaud as well, but the Slytherins look sullen. I go, and take my seat across from Hermione, next to a red-haired boy with horn rimmed glasses who introduce himself as Percy Weasley.

"Pendragon, Luka." My brother is up next. I turn my attention to see him walk up to the chair nervously. I beam him a confident smile, as the hat slips over his eyes. The whispers have started up again. I guess that having a Dumbledore and two Pendragons is very shocking and impressive.

After a minute or two the hat reaches a decision. "Ravenclaw!" It shouts. My brother takes off the hat with a relived grin, as the Ravenclaw table roars for obtaining my brother. I clap enthusiastically for him, even though that means that we're going to be separated. This isn't goodbye though. I know that we'll still be together forever. That's what happens when you share a womb together. Luka grins at me and joins his table. That was the right house for him I knew it all along, my brother is too smart for his own good.

"He didn't take nearly as long as you." Hermione informs me from across the table.

"Really? How long was I?" I question.

"Nearly three minutes." She replies with a raised eyebrow. I bite my lower lip, and return my gaze to the front.

"Potter, Harry." McGonagall announces. This time the whispers are deafening. Poor Harry stumbles on the way up to the stool, but at least nobody laughs at him, they're all too hopeful that he'll end up in their house. I hope I have him in Gryffindor, because I would hate to be without my new friend.

It looks like he's having an argument with the hat. Suddenly the hat opens wide. "Gonna have to be Gryffindor!" The hat exclaims. My table bursts into loud raucous cheers. A pair of redheaded twins are chanting 'We got Potter, We got Potter'. I clap for him furiously, and watch as Harry shakes the hands of nearly everyone at the table.

Once excitement dies down, Harry plops down into a seat next to me. "Well that was embarrassing." He mutters to me. I grin softly at him, and give his hand a small squeeze.

"Welcome to my world Harry, only you're more famous than me! Thanks for that by the way, I hate being the source of all the gossip." I smile at him. Harry scowls at me, but then smiles as well. This is why I feel that I can trust him. He has all this fame, yet he acts like he never knew about it, and he really seems to hate it.

"Weasley, Ronald." Professor McGonagall reads. We return our attention to the sorting. Ron is shaking as he pulls the sorting hat down onto his head, the brim dropping over his place face.

"Gryffindor!" The hat shouts. I feel as if my grin is going to be permanently plastered to my face. I might not know Ron well at all, but he seemed like a good guy. Now I'd get the chance to know them even more. The sorting quickly finishes up with Zabini, Blaise to Slytherin. Headmaster Dumbledore rises to the podium and the hall quiets down.

"Now I have just a few short words before we tuck in to this sure to be delightful feat. Tweak nitwit oddment." He says, returning to his seat at the staff table. I shake my head at him, he does that on purpose, all the years that I've known him, and I'm positive that he knows exactly what he's doing.

Food appears on our tables, and I start to fill mine, while Ron piles tons onto his. Harry is staring at all the food in wonder. "It's just food Harry. It doesn't bite back… at least these won't." I amend. Harry glares at me playfully, and starts overfilling his plate.

We're all relatively quiet as we stuff ourselves, but after a little while people start talking about where they come from and their families. I hate when topics like these are brought up, but everyone in the wizarding world already knows that my parents are dead. Harry is shifting uncomfortably next to me.

I pat his hand under the table. He spins his gaze to me, and I nod understandingly. He gives me a confused look, and I'm baffled for a moment. "My parents are dead as well." I whisper. Harry's eyes widen, and he swallows. I give him a sad smile, and he nods his head. How did he not know that? Suddenly a ghostly head pops up through the roast.

"Good evening young Gryffindors!" The ghost greets, floating up through the table, until he is hovering above it.

"Good evening Sir Nicholas." Percy the prefect greets.

"Congratulations on making it into the noble house of Gryffindor. I do hope that you'll contribute to helping us win the house cup. The Slytherins have held it for the last seven years. The Bloody Baron has been absolutely miserable to be around." The ghost shudders.

I crane my neck to see over to the Slytherin table. There sits a translucent ghost covered in ghostly blood. He's sitting right next to Draco Malfoy, and he looks none too happy with the arrangement. I can't help but grin at that. The git deserves it. "I know who you are! You're Nearly Headless Nick!" A boy in my year Seamus Finnegan cries.

I look at the ghost in awe, trying to figure out how one could be nearly headless. "His head still looks attached to his shoulders if you ask me." Harry murmurs to me. I bite my lip, and nod my head in reply.

"I prefer Sir Nicholas de Mimsy, and one can be nearly headless like so." He snaps. Sir Nick pulls on his hair, and yanks his head off, until the only thing that's keeping it attached is a small bit of skin. I gag, and close my eyes sharply.

"I think I could have lived without seeing that." I say. The other first years nod their head in agreement. I push away my plate, being that my appetite has suddenly vanished. Once the dessert has vanished, Professor Dumbledore gets up to the podium once more.

I had been in an animated conversation with the Weasley twins, Fred and George about certain prank executions, when Dumbledore cleared his throat. We fell silent and turned our attention to the Headmaster. "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered." He begins. I snicker at the phrase.

"I have a few start-of-term notices to give. First years should note that the Forbidden Forest on grounds is forbidden to all students. A few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." He states, his twinkling blue eyes directed on Fred and George. I chuckle at that, and the twins shoot me bright beaming looks.

"I have also been asked to tell you by Mr. Filch the caretaker, that no magic will be permitted in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials will be held during the second week of term for all those who wish to play for their house team. If interested please contact Madam Hooch." Dumbledore explains.

Ah Quidditch… too bad one can't tryout until second year. I would love to get back onto a broom, and chucking the quaffle around. I'm brought out of my daze, by an elbow to the ribs from Harry. I glare at him, and he points up to Dumbledore. "And finally I must tell you, that this year the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out-of-bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." He states gravely.

My interest in the corridor is immediately piqued. "Is he serious about the corridor?" Harry, Ron, and I ask all at the same time. We grin at each other, and Hermione grumbles at us. Percy comments that Dumbledore must be serious for he might be a little mad, but a genius nonetheless.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Professor Dumbledore declares with a flourish. A large roll of parchment materializes, and everyone scrambles to their feet. From the looks on the other teacher's faces, music must not be their first love. Only Dumbledore looks happy. I steal a glance at Ariana and see that she's snickering at the looks on their faces as well.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune, and we're off!" He cries.

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full with air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

Everyone was finishing the song at different times, and the Weasley twins were last going at a slow funeral march, that I joined in at the tail end of. Professor Dumbledore was moved to tears. "Ah music, a magic beyond all we know. Now off to bed!" He declares with a clap of his hands.

Percy jumps into gear, looking like this was what he was born to do. "First years follow me! Don't fall behind, this way to the common room!" He calls herding us like we're cattle.

"Can you believe that he actually made us sing?" Ron grumbles to Harry and me. Harry chuckles, and I run my hand through my hair.

"Do you really think that our brains will all rot, by the time we graduate?" I question. The boys exchange glances, and then throw their heads back in laughter. Ron drapes his arms over Harry's shoulders and mine.

"Guys, I think this is the beginning of a very beautiful friendship." He declares. Harry smiles, and I feel a grin form on my face. Once we're out of the hall I see my brother being herded along with all the other Ravenclaw first years.

"Hey Pendragon!" I holler. My brother jumps and twirls around to see who is yelling at him. When he sees that it's only me, he rolls his eyes, and allows a grin to cross his face. "I always knew you were a smarty pants! Don't let the textbooks bite!" I tease, laughing at my joke.

Luka groans, and runs a hand over his face. He sticks his tongue out at me in reply, and I laugh along with Harry and Ron. Ariana walks by with the Hufflepuffs, and shakes her head at Luka and me. "Come now Ariana!" I cry. She shoots me an amused look and disappears with her house.

"You know Ariana Dumbledore?" Ron asks me, going star struck again. I roll my eyes at him and heave a sigh.

"Yeah, she's one of the few kids I saw growing up. We're not on the best of terms. I think we get along better when we try to annoy the other." I admit scratching my head. Harry laughs, and shakes his head at the two of us. We've been barely paying attention to how to get to the common room. The only thing that I'm sure of is that there's a lot of stairs.

Suddenly the group comes to a stop at a landing in front of a large sized portrait of a rather large woman in a silk pink dress. She's dangling a bunch of grapes in front of her face, and staring at it hungrily. "This is the Fat Lady, she guards the entrance to Gryffindor tower. The password to get in changes every month." Percy explains. He turns to the lady in the painting.

He's stopped though when a walking stick is flung out of nowhere, and clobbers him in the back of the head. Everyone winces in sympathy, and I spin trying to spot the offending walking cane thrower, there's sure to be some granny nearby in dire need of mobility assistance.

Hanging from midair is a small man, who is ghost like, but not as see through as the other ghosts. He has a wicked grin on his face, and he begins chucking the others at us. "Peeves!" Percy roars, glaring red-faced at the apparition. Peeves turns his attention from Percy and grins evilly at us.

"Ooooh!" He said in delight. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

"Go away Peeves, or the Baron will hear about this!" Percy threatens the ghost. Peeves only responded with a raspberry at the prefect, and dropping all his walking sticks on poor Neville Longbottom's head. I wince in sympathy for the boy. With that Peeves zooms away down the corridor, probably to go terrorize some more students still wandering the halls.

I haul Neville up to his feet, and stare at him worriedly. "You all right Neville?" I ask. Neville blushes and gives me a wobbly smile.

"Yeah I'm fine." He says rubbing his head. Percy heaves a heavy sigh and turns back to our group.

"You want to watch out for Peeves. He's the school's poltergeist. The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects." Percy finishes with another sigh. He turns his attention back to the Fat Lady, who's managed to eat half her grapes in the mean time, looking extremely bored.

"Password?" She asks, eating another grape from off the vine. I had heard from the twins that she's usually very friendly so I wonder what's up.

"Caput Draconis." Percy answered, and the Fat Lady swung aside opening up a hidden passage way. What was inside was truly a sight to behold. The room was large and circular indicating that we were in one of the towers. The room was adorned with brilliant red and gold carpets and drapes, giving the room a warm glow to it.

Sleek wooden tables were set up here and there, along with comfortable looking armchairs and sofas, with a grand fireplace complete with a roaring fire to finish it off. "All right now, girls your dormitories are through this door and up the stairs. Just look for the door labeled first years. Boys same thing but other door." He indicated.

"All your things have already been brought up for you so I suggest you get a good night's sleep for your classes in the morning." Percy instructs, and with that he vanishes up to the boys' dorms. The first years started splitting up to head towards their staircase.

I turn to Harry and Ron and give them a sleepy grin. They look just about as tired as I do. "Meet up with you in the common room before breakfast?" I ask, trying to mask the hope in my voice.

"Definitely." Harry answers with a tired smile. Ron nods his head through a yawn. I give another smile.

"Night boys." I call. They respond with the same, and I climb the stairs to try and find my dormitory. We're on the top landing, and when I push open the door I'm greeted with the sight of the rest of the Gryffindor first year girls. There's Hermione Granger, a bubbly girl named Lavender Brown, another twin named Parvati Patil, and a shy girl named Alison March.

I exchange greetings, and go over to find my bed next to one of the windows. My trunk is at the foot of it, and my robes have all been changed to carry the Gryffindor colors and crest. I grin happily at it, and change into my pajamas. I climb into my bed, and revel in the warm cozy feel of the sheets. Lavender is giggling to Parvati and Alison.

"Those boys… can you believe that Harry Potter? He's cute!" Lavender declares. I scoff softly, and roll my eyes at the ceiling as I plop back onto my bed. Hermione starts telling the girls off, and stating that we should all go to sleep. With a groan I tug the red curtains shut around my bed, and burrow into my sheets.

With a yawn I realize that I should write to Kingsley, he'd want to know what house that I got in. The exciting day has taken too much out of me though, and I'm soon drifting off to sleep, dreaming of what's to come, now that I have school and two good friends.


	3. The Potions Master

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>3-The Potions Master<span>

The next day found me waiting into the common room for the boys to descend their staircase. My stomach was rumbling, and I wasn't exactly sure how it was even possible that I was still hungry after all the food that I had eaten last night. Kingsley would have laughed at me, and simply say that I was a growing girl who needed her nourishment.

I fiddled with the strap on my messenger bag that held all of my books for the day as I waited. In about three seconds I'm going to march up those stairs and pull those two out of dreamland. Just as I'm about to act, Ron comes stumbling down the steps with Harry behind him. "What took you so long?" I grumble pushing my way through the painting, and starting down the staircase.

They catch up with me, and soon I'm flanked by the two boys. "Would you believe me if I told you that Seamus blew up my alarm clock?" Harry tries. My eyes widen in disbelief staring back and forth at the two boys. Ron is grinning, and nodding his head really fast.

"Bloody hell, what did he do?" I exclaim looking back and forth between the two now hyper boys.

"Harry's ruddy alarm went off, and Seamus, Dean, and Neville started groaning about the noise. Seamus managed to get ahold of his wand, and with a wave, the clock exploded into a million pieces, and managed to blacken his face as well. You should have seen it!" Ron crows. I laugh along with the two boys, as we miraculously make it to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Weren't you still asleep though Ron? I seem to remember you waking up and asking why there was a spring in your hair, and if Seamus had been getting into the girl's lipstick." Harry snickers. I burst out laughing, and I'm shaking so hard that tears come to my eyes. Ron has turned a shade of red that has almost outdone his flaming hair.

That's when the three of us start to notice the whispers from the other students as we sit down to eat. "There look."

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."

"Wearing the glasses?"

"Is he sitting next to a Pendragon?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

I can see by the look on his face, that the looks and the whispers from the other students are seriously bothering Harry. I'm not as famous as him, but I have grown up in the spotlight and I'm used to it by now. You just have to tune it out until it is nothing more than white noise.

Harry has only just been thrust into it though. Ron is trying to comfort him but it's not working that well. Okay, no one gets to upset my new friend, not even curious, nosey kids. I get up onto my bench so that I'm standing above everyone. "OI!" I shout across the hall. All the students quiet down and look at me.

The professors even turn their gaze. Professor McGonagall gives me a harsh look and begins to get out of her seat, but Professor Dumbledore holds her back. His eyes are twinkling and there's a small smile on his face. "Listen up you lot! I know that you know me, and I know that you know Harry. Yes he is the boy who defeated You-Know-Who! So what? Get your five minutes in, then leave him the ruddy heck alone, unless you want to talk to him about school or the weather!" I holler.

Everyone is looking at me with wide eyes, and so are Ron and Harry, only they're mouths are hanging open as well. "The next one of you to stare at my friend like he's a piece of meat will have to deal with me! Do we understand each other?" I demand. Everyone is still shocked but heads start nodding almost dazedly.

"Thank you, now you can all go back and eat your meal!" I finish, climbing down from my perch, and sitting on my seat. I fold my napkin across my lap, and start calmly spooning fruit onto my plate. Slowly the Great Hall goes back to talking. Professor Dumbledore has a wide smile on his face, and he's laughing while looking at me. Professor McGonagall still looks upset, but there's approval in her face along with a bare smile.

Harry and Ron are still staring at me gob smacked. "What, never seen a girl make a spectacle out of herself before?" I snap somewhat testily. The boys shake out of their funk. A huge smile spreads across Ron's face.

"That was bloody brilliant! Did you see everyone's faces?" Ron exclaims looking like Christmas just came early. Harry is giving me an unreadable look.

"You didn't have to do that." He tells me. I raise my gaze to lock onto his.

"I know I didn't but I wanted to. I've been used to this sort of stuff for as long as I can remember, you're just starting out, with more stuff then I've ever had. You deserve some peace you know." I reply calmly.

"You're going to get in trouble for me." Harry doggedly keeps up his resistance. I wonder what ever made him so unable to accept a favor?

"You're my friend Harry, you and Ron are the first ones I've had in a long while. I wanted to do it for you. Besides, this school could do with a little shaking up!" I reply cheerfully. Harry shakes his head, but a smile blooms onto his face, and I grin in response.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." Harry replies. My smile widens, and the three of us turn to eating. I catch a disapproving glance from Hermione but I honestly couldn't care less. I have two great friends, and I'm in the most brilliant school alive. Nothing can tear me down.

"Miss Pendragon." McGonagall's voice reaches my ears. Okay maybe that can puncture a hole in my happiness. I slowly turn to face the stern professor. I can't read the look that's in her eye and that worries me. "An admirable speech you just gave. Five points to Gryffindor for the true loyalty and dedication you gave to your friend." She tells me.

My eyes widen, and Ron chokes on his food. Harry is grinning at me. "In the future though Miss Pendragon, do keep the mealtime speeches to a minimum and least disruptive." With that the stern teacher turns away, and marches out of the hall. I can't believe that just happened.

"I know right! McGonagall never rewards bad behavior!" Ron cries. Did I really say that out loud? I must be worse off than I think!

"Brilliant Jamie! I think this is a start to a great year!" Harry exclaims high fiving me from across the table. Percy hands the three of us our schedules, and leaves promptly with a reproachful look my way. Oh well, I had a feeling that we wouldn't get along anyway. The three of us get up and start for the door.

We run into Luka and two boys at the door. "Brilliant speech sis! Oh, these are my friends Terry Boot, and Michael Corner. Well got to get to class, wouldn't want to be late on our first day! Bye Jamie, Harry, Ron." Luka calls heading away with his friends.

"Good bloke your brother is." Ron comments. I beam a smile at him. Thankfully they're giving Luka a chance; he really is the best brother I could ever ask for. In main hall Harry and Ron are chatting excitably about our first class, while I'm examining our schedule. I don't even notice the person that I bump into.

I'm pushed off-balance, but before I fall someone catches me, and pulls me straight. I look up and see Ariana's amused face in front of mine. Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones are a few paces behind her. "Do you think the hallway is big enough for the two of us?" I ask. Ariana laughs, and to my surprise she has a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Apparently not. Though it was you who was not looking. Never mind that though. Nice speech you gave Pendragon, you've definitely got my vote." She tells me before smiling, and turning back to her friends. I hurry to catch up to Harry and Ron, trying to shake the weird comment out of my head. Vote? What vote? There's a vote going on?

We quickly found out that Hogwarts was a place where one could easily get lost, and probably never found again. There are 142 staircases, doors that don't look like doors, moving staircases, portraits that visit each other, and suits of armor that can probably walk. In other words, this place what absolutely fantastic, I am having the time of my life!

Not even showing up late to a few classes can bring me down. I can't wait to tell Kingsley all about school. The ghosts weren't friendly with directions but Sir Nicholas. Peeves is hell-bent on terrorizing the students and pointing them in the opposite direction, then where their class really is.

I thought that it would be seriously hard to be worse than Peeves, except of course if you're Malfoy, but I was wrong. Argus Filch the caretaker was like a walking nightmare. We happened to run into him on the first day, when Harry and Ron were trying to force open a locked door. Unfortunately that happened to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor.

Filch wasn't willing to believe that we were simply lost. He looked almost giddy when he informed us that he would be locking us in the dungeons. Luckily Professor Quirrell rescued us, before he could get us too far away.

Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts.

I usually like cats since Luka's cat Sophocles was nice, but I decided that this cat was going to be kicked by the end of the year. Despite the trouble that it was to find them, the classes were actually fun. Every Wednesday night at midnight, we went up to the top of the Astronomy tower to learn the names of different stars and the planets movements.

I thought that that was one of the coolest things ever, but I had to spend half my time keeping Ron awake with Harry. Three times a week we went out back to the greenhouses behind the school to study Herbology. We had the Hufflepuffs in that class, and I had to deal with Ariana and all her little comments, and I decided to either ignore her, or retort with the same. We learned all about strange plants and fungi, and discovered what they're used for.

Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staffroom fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up. Ron did fall asleep in that class, and Harry and I spent the time playing wizarding hangman.

Hermione shot us a scathing look at that. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight. Of course when he came across mine, Flitwick nearly passed out. Apparently he'd taught my parents, and he was excited to teach my brother and me as well.

Professor McGonagall was just as I expected. She wasn't a teacher to cross, and she was strict and clever. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic that you will come across. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." She told us. With that she transfigured her desk into a pig and back.

I was thrilled to start, but I soon realized that it was going to take a long time to be able to transform anything into a pig. Sigh; there go my big plans of transfiguring Mrs. Norris. After what seemed like hours of complicated note taking, we were each given a matchstick and were told to transfigure it into a needle. By the end of the class Hermione was the only one to have turned hers into a needle.

I had managed to get it to turn silver but that was it. Professor McGonagall gave Hermione a rare smile after showing off her needle to the class. Harry and Ron were grumpy after that class. "Cheer up mates, at least you didn't blow yours up like Seamus!" I exclaim, trying to get them back into shape.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story.

For one thing, when Seamus Finnegan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.

I was disappointed to say the least. I was looking forward to learning how to defend myself, and maybe throw a jinx or two at Malfoy. Hey, can you blame me just imagine a day where Malfoy is blissfully silent! I don't think that I'll ever live to see the day! Harry was relieved that he wasn't behind Ron and me in any of the studies. He was worried that since he grew up with muggles that he'd be left behind. I had only laughed at him, and explained that magical kids under the age of eleven are basically muggles, except for the fact that we can perform accidental magic.

Friday dawned nice and early, and it just happened to be an important day. We had finally been able to make it to the Great Hall once without getting lost or following the other students! I was so thrilled, that I felt like giving a jump for joy. We sat down for breakfast near the Weasley twins who were hunched over their plates with a sheet of paper in between them. Ever since the morning of my speech, I've been closer with them, since I caused a spectacle, and I love hijinks, they have let me in on some of their plans.

"What do we have today?" Harry asks, pouring sugar onto his porridge. Ron looks up from stuffing a sausage in his face, as I pull out our schedule.

"Double Potions with Slytherin. Great, Luka had him yesterday. He told me that Snape is a git with a capital G. People say that he favors the Slytherin house since it's his house." I comment. Harry groans, and Ron scratches his nose.

"Hey at least we'll be able to see if it's true." Ron says turning back to his food. If there is one thing that I have learned about my friend, is that he's always hungry, and he seems to have three stomachs like a cow. Just then the mail comes in. Hundreds of owls flock into the hall, flying over tables and dropping off letters and packages. I spot Dionysus, and watch as he swoops over the Ravenclaw table, and drops a letter off for Luka, and then he swoops over to my table, and lands next to my plate.

I smile at my owl, and take my letter from him. "Good boy." I say feeding him a sausage piece off of Ron's plate. I recognize Kingsley's handwriting from the letter, and a smile grows on my face. Harry is stroking Dion's feathers, and looking up, just as a letter falls into his lap. At seeing Hedwig, Dionysus takes to the air following her.

"They're friends." Harry exclaims, and I smile along with him. I open up my letter, and scan through it.

_Dear Jamie,_

_I'm sorry that it has taken me this long to reply to you and your brother's letters. I have been on important business, and didn't get them until I got back just yesterday. Congratulations on making Gryffindor house! I knew that you would get placed there; you have more nerve then half of the men in my aurors office._

_I am glad to hear that you guys are making friends. I will admit that I was worried about you for a bit. So, you made friends with Ron Weasley? I know his father. He works in the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. He's a good man. I'm sure that his son is a great friend. I also see that you made friends with Harry Potter. I must admit that I didn't expect you to do so. You usually shy away from celebrities, but I'm proud of you. That boy will need some good friends to stick by his side. _

_I understand about the classes, they're going to be overwhelming for a bit, until you get into the swing of things. Just remember to try your best, and have fun, the rest will come. _

_Well I hate to say that I'm lonely already but I am. I miss having Luka mess up my library, and you sneaking out your window on your broom. All I can say now is good luck, have fun, and learn lots!_

_Remember that I love you Jamie, and I always will. Remember to write once in a while. _

_Sincerely yours,_

_Kingsley_

_PS. Watch out for Professor Snape. He does not take well to students not in his house. He will not like you very much just because you're a Pendragon as well. _

Great so this professor isn't going to like me because of who I am. That's just perfect. It's only my last name! I can't help who I was born as! I heave a sigh and fold my letter back up, and stick it into my bag. Harry is finishing looking over his note.

"Who's it from?" Ron asks. Harry looks up with a small smile.

"Hagrid, he wants us to come have a cup of tea with him this afternoon! What do you say?" He asks looking between the two of us.

"The gamekeeper?" I question. Harry and Ron both nod. "Why not." I say shrugging my shoulders. Harry scrawls a yes back, and Hedwig swoops down again, to take the response back to the giant.

It was a good thing that the three of us had something to look forward to after potions for, Snape made the entire event unbearable. Around his dimly lit room were weird creatures in jars, and the place smelled musty. The professor started out by taking roll. When he got to my name his head snapped up. "Oh joy, another Pendragon." He drawled sarcasm dripping from his voice. I gripped the tabletop harder, and tried to ignore the snickers from the Slytherins, especially Malfoy's. It only got worse though, when he came to Harry's name right after mine.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity."

Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

Harry glared at the professor, and I had to squeeze his knee to snap him out of it. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making." Snape started. He spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper yet he still commanded the respect and silence of the whole room.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. . . . I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Hermione Granger sat on the edge of her seat looking desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead. "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape demands suddenly. Harry jumps slightly from beside me, and looks helplessly confused. Hermione's hand shot into the air, and I raised my eyebrow in response to that.

"I-I don't know sir." Harry stutters out. I turn my glare onto Snape.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Tut, tut — fame clearly isn't everything."

He ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.

"I don't know, sir." Harry responded again. Now I was really starting to get pissed off with this man. He shouldn't be picking on my friend. Ron had his hand on my shoulder to keep me in my seat.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming eh Potter?" Snape sneers. I try to fight the growl that I feel coming in my chest. What right does he—an adult have to treat my friend this way?

Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" Harry replied. A few people laughed, and I had to suppress a small grin. Snape however was not amused.

"Sit down girl!" He snapped at her. Hermione lowered to her chair looking hurt and disappointed, when Snape turned to me. "Pendragon, have you opened a book or listened to anything your guardian has taught you?" He demands. I stare back at him coldly.

"A bezoar can be found in the stomach of a goat. We won't learn about the other two potions until third year and beyond, so it would be impossible to answer those correctly sir." I respond stressing the sir to make it plain that I don't think he deserves that. Snape glares down his hooked nose at me, and I can swear that his greasy hair starts to shine in the candlelight.

"Maybe you have been paying attention. Five points from Gryffindor for your cheek Pendragon, and one from you Potter." Snape declares. The Gryffindors cry out in outrage, and the Slytherins start laughing. I glare at the professor ready to bean him over the head with my cauldron, but Ron holds me back, while Harry looks miserable.

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He watched over us as we measured and weighed ingredients, criticizing most students except for Malfoy.

He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

Snape starting yelling at Neville and ordered Seamus to take him up to the hospital wing, while we tried to stay out of the concoction. Then he rounded on us, we had been working next to Neville.

"You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor." Snape growled. I had to bite my lip from giving a comeback. Ron was trying to calm Harry down as we exited the classroom. All in all, I determined that Potions wasn't going to be my favorite class.

I wasn't too upset at losing us points since I still had to ones for my speech, and the ones I got during Astronomy, Charms, and Herbology. Even though I may be a troublemaker, I still do love learning, just not with the same passion as Luka or Hermione Granger.

"At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.

When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang — back."

Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."

He let us in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling; a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.

"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest." Hagrid says.

"And this is Jamie." Harry introduces me. Hagrid turns his gaze to me, and a smile forms on his face.

"Jamie Pendragon! Why the last time I saw you, you were just a little tot! Yer would get into the wildest trouble possible! Drove yer mum mad you did!" Hagrid chuckles. I feel a lump start to form in my throat.

"You knew my parents?" I ask softly. Hagrid's smile turns sad and he nods his great head.

"'Course I did. They went to school here, a year or two above Harry's folks James and Lily. James would follow Daniel 'round with his friends and bug him 'bout advanced magic. Alexis thought it was all good fun 'an helped them out." Hagrid replies, a faraway look in his eyes, "Great people yer parents, always stopped by, on Sundays for a cup of tea." He mutters.

I turn to Harry and there's a sad smile in his eyes. I smile back and Ron gives us both an understanding look. "Enough 'bout that now!" Hagrid said trying to get the mood back to being cheerful. We go about explaining to Hagrid about what happened in Potions, and Ron made sure to get his point across about him being a git.

Fang was alternating between drooling on Harry, to drooling on me. When we brought up Filch, we were happily surprised to hear Hagrid call him an old git. As Hagrid and Ron were talking about Ron's older brother Charlie who worked with dragons in Romania, Harry picked up an old newspaper. I moved over so that I could read it over his shoulder.

It was an article about the Gringotts break in. I remember that, Kingsley was called in to take a look around. Luka and I bugged him about it for ages afterward. No one is supposed to be able to break into their vaults. "Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!" Harry cries. I feel my eyes widen in shock.

Hagrid refused to meet any of our eyes, and ushered us out the door, our pockets full of rock cakes, because we didn't want to refuse them. We walked the rest of the way in silence, Ron and I exchanging glances as we looked to Harry who was deep in thought. What ever it was the three of us were likely to find out— one way or another.


	4. The Midnight Duel

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>4-The Midnight Duel<span>

If there was ever one subject that Harry and I could agree on it was that Malfoy was the biggest git that we had both ever had the misfortune to meet. Harry put up a good argument that his cousin Dudley was worse, but in the end Malfoy outweighed all others. The only upside was that we only shared Potions with the Slytherins, so we hardly had to see him.

That was until we saw the flyer pinned up on the notice board. First year Gryffindors would have their flying lessons starting on Thursday, and the classes would be held with the Slytherins. I didn't particularly like it, but I could deal. Not even Malfoy could take away the joy and freedom that flying gives me.

"Typical, just what I always wanted to do, make a fool out of myself on a broom in front of Malfoy." Harry says darkly. I shake my head at him.

"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk." Ron says trying to cheer Harry up. Malfoy does talk an awful lot about flying, boasting about near misses with muggle helicopters and all. Seamus and Ron tell stories as well.

I have quite a few of my own, but I only volunteer them up when someone asks. Harry doesn't need to feel worse then he already does. "Don't worry Harry. The first lesson is going to be simple. Everyone has to start right at the beginning again." I tell him patting him on the back. Harry gives me a look his green eyes flashing.

"Thanks Jamie, but you've been on a broom before as well. There's only one thing to do. Ron, you and Jamie are going to have to knock Malfoy off his broom for me! Make it look like an accident as well." Harry implores us. The three of us burst out into laughter, just as Hermione Granger passes our sofa and gives the three of us disapproving looks.

As we made our way to breakfast Thursday morning Luka sidled up beside me, and draped his arm over my shoulder. "Hello sister dear. I hear that you have flying lessons today." He says conversationally. I smirk at him, and Harry and Ron lean in to hear our conversation.

"Have you by chance mentioned to Harry and Ron here your exploits, of accidentally on purpose magic?" Luka muses. I glare at my twin but his identical blue eyes to mine are sparkling with mirth.

"What'd she do?" Ron asks eagerly. He's always looking for a good story since his always seem to be the butt of many jokes.

"Ever since dear Jamie was three she'd break into the broom shed, and fly around the fields of our house. Never once fell. Kingsley got so fed up with the act, that he finally got her a broom a few years ago for her birthday. Never seen anything more entertaining than him chasing her around." Luka laughs. Harry and Ron both start laughing, and I feel heat rush to my cheeks.

"Well it still was never as bad as the time that you tried to make that potion in the kitchen! When it exploded, whenever we tried to use a utensil or an appliance, they would start singing opera!" I cry in defense. By now Harry and Ron are howling in laughter, and we're starting to draw quite a crowd. Lukas blushes a bright red, and straightens his Ravenclaw robes.

"What about the time when the two of you came for my ninth birthday party? You were both so disappointed that we weren't going to go to the zoo, that you turned all the shrubs in the back yard, into various zoo animals! We were chased by tigers!" Ariana says appearing before us. By now Harry and Ron are rolling around on the floor in laughter. Everyone is laughing as well.

"It was an accident!" Luka and I shout together. Ariana just gives us a playful grin.

"Don't worry Jamie, it was a very entertaining and cute accident." She says, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder. I narrow my eyes at the young Dumbledore.

"Oh Ariana don't forget about the time when you thought that it would be fun to paint your grandfather's house. Didn't all the rooms change colors every few minutes, and even the cat turned purple?" I question innocently. Ariana flushes, and people continue to laugh.

"I was six at the time!" She cries. I just grin and shrug my shoulders. Ariana glares at me, and spins away. She can never take a joke. I give Harry and Ron a hand up, and we enter the Great Hall.

"That was fantastic! Who knew the three of you did such outlandish stuff! If I ever did that, my mum would skin me alive!" Ron cries beginning to pale. Harry snickers at the two of us, and starts piling food onto his plate. The conversation quickly returns to flying. Neville Longbottom had never been on a broom before because his grandmother had forbidden him for flying.

"Gran says that I have enough accidents with two feet on the ground. I have no business being up in the air where I would be in even greater danger." He explains. Neville looks nervous and pale already, and the class isn't even supposed to start until after lunch.

Hermione Granger was also quite worried about flying. Flying isn't something you can learn by heart out of a book, not that she didn't try. She kept telling us tips about flying she read out of a book called Quidditch through the Ages. Only Neville seemed to be really paying any attention to her. The post arrives I watch as Dionysus swoops down to the table, and drops a package in my waiting hands.

"How come Dionysus drops it in your hands. Hedwig still drops mine in my porridge!" Harry complains. I laugh, and stroke my tawny owl. I feed him a sausage and open the box. Two containers are inside of Treacle Tart, and other wizards candy. I grab the box marked Luka and stand up.

"Oi Luka!" I call. His head comes up from the next table where he was reading a book. "Air mail!" I grin. Luka grins and jumps up from his seat. I rear back my arm and throw the package into his waiting arms.

"Oh Treacle Tart!" He exclaims happily. I laugh, and sit back down. Ron is eyeing my package hungrily.

"I'll share after lessons." I promise. Neville's owl drops a package onto his plate, and he opens it up. He pulls a small glass ball full of white mist out. Oh boy, I know what that is.

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh . . ." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, " . . . you've forgotten something . . ."

Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand. Harry and Ron jump to their feet while I glare at Malfoy. There's no way I could take him on when he has his two goons beside him Crabbe and Goyle. Or as I love to call them Dumb and Dumber. Before any action can happen though, Professor McGonagall swoops in, and glares at everyone.

"What is going on here?" She demands.

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor." Neville says. With a scowl Malfoy drops the ball back onto the table.

"Just looking." He says. He slouches away with Crabbe and Goyle.

At three-thirty that afternoon, the three of us and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as we marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. When Madame Hooch arrived she gave us all a quick once over. "Well? What are you waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. I stood next to a broom in between Harry and Ron. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I couldn't wait to get back up in the air again!

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

"UP!" everyone shouted. My broom shot up into my hand and I grinned. Harry's had come up as well, and he was smiling right back at me. It took Ron three tries to get his up, and on the second one the broom smacked him in the face. Harry and I couldn't help but laugh at him. Hermione Granger's broom just rolled around on the grass, while Neville's broom hadn't even moved a centimeter. He has to stop being scared of flying, in order for the broom to come up.

Madam Hooch then showed us how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. We were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years. My grip was correct, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Kingsley had once told me that my dad had taught me how to fly when I was three before he died. It's nice having something of his besides his eyes.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward "slightly. On my whistle — three — two —"

But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. I saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and —

WHAM — a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.

Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.

"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get."

She turned to the rest of the class. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.

No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

"You're just making fun of her Parkinson because you have a crush on him Parkinson." I snap back. Pansy's pug face flushes red, and everyone laughs.

"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.

"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.

Malfoy smiled nastily.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?" Draco says. With that he mounts his broom, and soars off into the air. Harry is glaring daggers at Malfoy and I'm right there with him.

"Give it here!" Harry yelled. He hadn't been lying he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"

Harry grabbed his broom.

"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble." She hisses. Harry doesn't listen though. He gets on his broom, and kicked hard off the ground. I grinned he was actually quite good.

"Wicked Harry!" I shout. I mount my broom and Hermione glares at me.

"Jamie no! Just because Harry wants to go and get expelled doesn't mean that you should follow him." Hermione lectures me. I grin at her, and grip my broom.

"Harry's my best friend Hermione, I'm not letting him get the pleasure of knocking Malfoy off his broom all by himself." I state. With that I push up off the ground, and soar up next to Harry. He looks at me in shock. "You thought I'd let you have all the fun?" I ask. Harry grins at me, and we come to a stop in front of Malfoy.

Malfoy looked stunned.

"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"

"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried. Harry charged Malfoy, but missed.

"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck now Malfoy!" I call. Malfoy looks like he was just beginning to realize that. I charge him, but he doesn't realize that I've had years of playing Quidditch with my brother and Kingsley in our backyard under my belt. I knock his arm, and the Remembrall goes flying. I catch it safely and turn to Harry, with Malfoy on my tail.

"You'll pay for the Pendragon!" He shouts. I look at Harry.

"Harry catch!" I shout. He's a good twenty yards away from us. I throw the Remembrall with all my might, and it goes sailing through the air, as I roll out of Malfoy's grab. Harry zooms after the ball, and before it crashes to the ground, catches it, and tumbles safely to the ground. "Yes!" I shout with glee.

Malfoy is glaring at me, as I descend to the ground, and run with all the other cheering children to Harry. "You did it Harry! That was amazing!" I cry, ecstatic. Nothing can take the joy away from me now. Ron grabs both Harry and me and starts jumping up and down.

"HARRY POTTER! JAMIE PENDRAGON!" Professor McGonagall roars. I look up in time to see her marching over to us, with looks of disbelief and rage on her face. Wait? Why isn't she yelling at Malfoy as well? "Never in all my time at Hogwarts…" The professor is almost speechless.

"How dare you… you both could have broken your necks…" She stuttered. I swallow down the lump that's in my throat. Okay so maybe that wasn't the smartest thing for me to do. Kingsley is going to kill me. I've been here only a couple of weeks, and now I'm going to be expelled. Maybe Luka can teach me what he learned over the summer?

"It's not they're fault Professor!" Parvati Patil cries.

"Be quiet Miss Patil…"

"But Malfoy…"

"That's enough Mr. Weasley. Potter, Pendragon follow me, now." She snaps. I hang my head and follow along beside Harry behind her. Great, just perfect, what am I going to do now? Harry and I followed behind her miserably as we marched behind her, through the castle.

* * *

><p>Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.<p>

"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?" She asks. Wood… where have I heard that name before? Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused. "Follow me you three." She says.

"In here." Professor McGonagall pointed us into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.

"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him. She turns to the three of us finally. "Potter, Pendragon, this is Wood. Wood I've found you a seeker, and your last chaser." She announces. Wait a second… did she just say what I think she did? Harry look confused.

Wood's expression went from quizzical to delight. "Are you serious Professor?" He asks. She nods her head.

"The boy's a natural, I've never seen anything like it. The girl made dodges and rolls better then half the senior players I know on other houses, she also has quite and arm with good aim. Potter caught the ball from a dive." McGonagall explains, holding up the Remembrall that Harry was still holding. Woods eyes have gone wide.

Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.

"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.

"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained. Harry shakes his head. Wood turns to me, and I nod my head slowly. I've been to so many games; I've lost count by now.

"They'll be great additions to the team. Potter's small and lithe, and Pendragon's smaller then the other chasers because of her age, so that'll give her an advantage over other chasers. This is brilliant professor!" Wood crows.

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks . . .."

Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry and me. "I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, Pendragon, or I may change my mind about punishing you."

Then she suddenly smiled.

"Your fathers would have been proud," she said. "They were both excellent Quidditch players." She tells us. Merlin saggy pants! We're on the Quidditch team!

* * *

><p>"You're joking." Ron said. It was dinnertime and Harry and I were sitting across from Ron at the table. He had a bite of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it. "Seeker and Chaser? Why, you two must be the youngest two players on a House team in about…" Harry cut Ron off.<p>

"A century! Yeah Wood told us." Harry says.

"About a hundred times." I mutter, and Harry laughs. Ron is so amazed, and so impressed that he just sits there gaping at us.

"We start training in a week only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." Harry tells Ron seriously. I squirm in my seat.

"What's wrong Jamie?" Ron asks me. I shift again, and glance at the Ravenclaw table.

"I don't like keeping secrets from my brother. We tell each other everything." I say.

"Well he seems like a good bloke. If you think he won't tell anyone then tell him, if it's going to bother you that badly." Harry says shoving a spoonful of soup into his mouth. I nod my head absently, and glance at the table again to see if I can spot my brother.

Just then the Weasley twins sit down on either side of Harry and me. George pushes in close to me, while Fred does the same to Harry. "Well done you two." George tells us. "We're on the team as well— Beaters." He says.

"We're going to win the Cup for sure this year. We haven't won since Charlie left, but we're going to be brilliant this year, I can just tell. You two must be good, Jamie, Harry, for Wood was practically skipping when he told us." Fred comments.

"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."

Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "Enjoying your last meal Potter? When are you getting back on the train to the muggles? And you Pendragon haven't you brought enough shame to your family as it is. To think that the Pendragon family used to be a noble house." He sneers.

An angry flush floods my cheeks. "Oi leave Jamie alone Malfoy!" Ron shouts. I shake my head at him, and push him back down into his seat.

"You're a lot braver now that you're down on the ground with your little friends Malfoy." Harry says coolly. The Great Hall was full of other students and teachers, so there's not much that Malfoy can do.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel, wands only — no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.

"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." He says. When Malfoy, Dumb, and Dumber left, I turned to Ron.

"Really this whole event is pointless." I say.

"Wait, what is a Wizard's duel? What do you mean that you're my second Ron?" Harry asks.

"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" Harry asks unsurely. I sigh, and roll my eyes.

"Throw your wand down and punch him in the nose. Malfoy's not brave enough to fight you one on one." I remark. Ron grins, and high fives me across the table. "Of course you're not leaving me behind. I want to see the look on Malfoy's face, when you beat him Harry." I laugh, picturing the git's face.

"Excuse me." We look up to see Hermione Granger standing there.

"You're excused." I quip. I couldn't help myself. Ron snickers.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying —"

"Bet you could," Ron muttered.

"— and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.

"Good-bye," said Ron. I sigh and shake my head. It wasn't like I was personably trying to be mean to Hermione, but she just made it so hard. She's so different then me, and she rags on my best friends all the time. I know that Kingsley would want me to be nice to her, but its nearly impossible, and I'm only eleven.

"I'll see you two back in the common room. I have some homework to get started on before tonight." I tell them, waving goodbye. The wave as well, and I leave the Great Hall. So much has happened today, and a lot of it was good. I can't help but smile, that is until I run into Ariana Dumbledore out in the corridor.

"We really can't seem to stop bumping into one another." I comment. Instead of the scowl, smirk, or playful smile that I was expecting, a pensive frown is on her face, her brown eyes concerned.

"I heard about what happened today Jamie, and I overheard about what's going to happen later." She tells me. I feel my smile slip off my face. Before I know what's going on she's grabbed me by the arm, and leading me through the castle.

"So?" I demand, unsure about where this is going.

"You're taking a lot of risks. You could have been expelled today Jamie. Do you understand that? And what you Harry and Ron are planning to do with Malfoy tonight, you could get in trouble again." Ariana says, tightening her grip on my arm.

"So, what do you care? You're not the one getting expelled." I say jerking my arm out of her grasp, and crossing my arms over my chest. I'm not used to having people worry over me except Kingsley and Luka. I've had no one else.

"Don't be daft Jamie, it's unbecoming of you, and I know that you're smart, though you don't like to show it. If you're gone then who else will I have to spar with, and annoy?" Ariana says like it's the simplest thing in the word. I feel a flush come to my cheeks.

"I'll try not to get expelled Ariana, but I have to do this. Harry's my best friend and so is Ron. Someone's got to be there to bail them out when this whole thing blows up." I tell her. Ariana grins and laughs.

"So you do realize that this is a setup. There's no way on earth that that weasel will show up tonight." She says. I grin and wink at her.

"But where would be the fun in telling them that? I signed up for seven years of adventure when, I accepted my place in this school." I explain. Ariana shakes her head and starts back towards the Great Hall.

"Don't worry Jamie, knowing you and Harry, there will be plenty of that to come." She says leaving with a wave of her hand. I notice with shock that we're only a few feet away from the Fat Lady portrait. She brought us straight to Gryffindor House. I shake my head, and go up to her.

"Was that Ariana Dumbledore I just saw?" She asks me. I nod my head. The Fat Lady smiles happily. "What a sweet girl, when her grandfather brought her to the castle when she was little, she would always remember to stop by and say hello." She beams.

"Pig snout." I say, and she swings the portrait open.

* * *

><p>At half past eleven I slip out of my bed, and put my bathrobe on. It's light blue with small white stars on it. It was a birthday present last year from Ariana. I still don't know why I kept it. I grab my wand, and smile. I still love the feel of it in my hand after all these days. It's yew with a phoenix feather core fourteen and a half inches, slightly springy.<p>

I clutch it tightly in my left hand, as I descend the staircase into the common room. It looks totally empty, but I think that someone's there. Harry and Ron come stumbling over to me. We start for the portrait hole. "I can't believe you're doing this Harry, and that you're going along with it as well Jamie." A voice says.

A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.

"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this." I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"Come on." Harry grumbles pushing open the portrait door, and Ron and I follow him out. Hermione isn't giving up easily though. She follows us through the portrait, hissing like an angry goose.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."

"Go away." Harry says.

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —" But what we were, we didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor Tower.

"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly. I rolled my eyes and moved closer to the boys.

"I guess you'll have to wait for the Fat Lady to return Hermione. She probably won't be that long." I say trying to sooth her so that she'll leave us alone.

"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late." we hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with us.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"You are not." Ron spat.

"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all four of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up." She harrumphs.

"You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly.

"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something." I grabbed the back of Harry's robe, and listened hard. Some sort of snuffling noise could be heard.

"Mrs. Norris?" I breathe. It wasn't the devil cat though; it was Neville curled up in a ball on the floor asleep. He jerked wide-awake as we crept closer.

"Harry, Ron, Jamie, Hermione? Thank goodness you found me! I forgot the password, and the Fat Lady wouldn't let me in!" Neville cries.

"Keep it down Neville. The password is 'Pig Snout' but it won't do you any good now, the Fat Lady's gone." Ron hisses.

"How's your arm?" I ask him, helping him to his feet.

"Fine," said Neville, showing us. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."

"Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —" Harry tries.

"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already." Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."

Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. I kept a lookout at every turn for Filch and Mrs. Norris but it never seemed to come. We dashed up a staircase to the third floor, and crept into the trophy room.

Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them, cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. we edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. I watched as Harry pulled out his wand just in case. I leaned back against the wall, and lazily started counting the various awards in the cases.

Somewhere around 132 I was stopped by Ron's voice. "He's late, maybe he's too chicken to come." He whispers. I scoff quietly. Four pairs of inquisitive eyes fall on me.

"He was never going to come. Malfoy doesn't have the guts to face any of us in a fair fight. There's a reason why he wasn't sorted into Gryffindor." I state.

"If you knew he wouldn't show, then why are we here?" Harry whispers angrily.

"Well there's always a chance that he could. Besides, I wanted to see what the castle looked like at night." I state simply. Harry shakes his head, but I think that I can see the beginning of a smile forming on his lips. Suddenly there's a noise in the next room.

"Sniff around my sweet—they're in here somewhere." Filch's voice bounces off the walls. Oh crap. Horrorstruck we shuffle to the door on the other side of the room. We barely whipped around the corner before Filch entered the room. Harry mouthed for us to follow him, and we hurry silently down the hall lined with suits of armor.

We could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run — he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.

The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle. "RUN!" Harry yells letting all thoughts of stealth float away. We ran down corridors with no idea where we're going until, we go past a tapestry. We're in some secret passage now. We come out in the Charms corridor, and that's miles away from the trophy room.

"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.

"I — told — you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you."

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."

"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off." She says.

I roll my eyes while catching my breath. "Thank you Hermione, for stating the obvious, didn't I already say that he wasn't going to show?" I ask. She glares at me, and turns back to Harry. Ah, who cares anymore, but our luck just kept getting better.

"Let's go."

It wasn't going to be that simple. We hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of us.

It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.

"Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out." I beg

Peeves cackled.

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please." Harry begs as well

"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know." I groan inwardly. This is not going to end well, I can already tell.

"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves — this was a big mistake.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Ducking under Peeves, we ran for our lives, right to the end of the corridor where we slammed into a door — and it was locked.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as we pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"

We could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves' shouts.

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohomora!" She cast.

The lock clicked and the door swung open — we piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."

"Say 'please.'"

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.

"All right — please."

"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage. I heave a sigh of relief, and focus on what's in front of me. I shouldn't have done that. Standing there with six yellow eyes glaring at us is a giant three-headed dog.

It looks bigger then three of me, and all three mouths are equipped with razor sharp yellow fangs, with drool dripping down them. "N-nice d-doggy." I stutter. Neville has finally gotten Harry's attention. I was frozen in fear staring at the monstrous beast. I usually liked dogs, but from now on, I'm sticking with cats, they're nice and small.

Hermione grabs the back of my bathrobe, and pulls me out the door behind them. I don't have a chance to thank her. Filch must have hurried off to look for us somewhere else, because we didn't see him anywhere, but we hardly cared — all we wanted to do was put as much space as possible between us and that monster. We didn't stop running until we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.

"Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. We scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.

It was a while before any of us said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

"I think that's where Filch feeds all the children who've got in trouble to." I stutter.

Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?" She demands. I shake my head, my hands still trembling. Definitely never getting a dog, nice little kittens, with fluffy little bodies.

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."

"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." Hermione says. She stands up, glaring at us.

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." With that she storms off.

Ron stared after her, his mouth open. "She needs to sort out her priorities." He mumbles. Neville gets up and just walks away to his dormitory.

"Jamie? Are you okay?" Harry asks me, moving over to sit next to me. He shakes my arm slightly, and I'm jolted out of my shock.

"Just remind me never to get a dog when I'm older." I state. Ron and Harry look between each other, and burst out laughing. I say goodnight, and when I got to my dormitory, I crawled under the covers, falling fast asleep, dreaming of giant dogs with three heads fighting fire breathing kittens.


	5. Halloween

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>5-Halloween<span>

The look on Malfoy's face the next morning was worth all the trouble that we went through last night. Sure, the three of us were pretty much dead on our feet, but it was sweet all the same. Harry and Ron had decided that the adventure last night was excellent, and they were keen to have another. That's why they're currently trying to persuade me to join them again.

"Come on Jamie, it was one time. The dog didn't even hurt you." Ron says trying to sway me over to their side. I bite my lower lip, and shake my head vehemently. Harry stares at me studying my face.

"Jamie, I promise you that when it comes time to go back to the dog, you won't have to deal with it, we will." Harry says staring into my eyes. Slowly I nod my head.

"Yeah— wait what?" Ron cries realizing what he's agreed to. Harry then filled us in on the vault that Hagrid had taken him to when they were getting his money for Diagon Alley, and what he thought that the dog was guarding.

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.

"Or both," said Harry.

But as all we knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, we didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues. Neville and Hermione didn't seem to show an interest in finding out what the devil hound was guarding as well. Neville was happy never to speak of it again, while Hermione was giving them the cold shoulder, and silent treatment.

Harry and Ron didn't really care about that, for they thought that she was a bossy know-it-all. I didn't feel quite as good about it, because Hermione didn't really seem to have any friends. She pretty much just keeps to herself and her schoolwork. I feel bad about that, but there's nothing that I can do.

About a week passed and everything went back to normal. In Herbology we were assigned a big project with partners, and just my luck I was assigned Ariana. She shot me a smug look, and moved over so that she could work with me at my station. "Looks like we're stuck together now!" She exclaims happily, pulling on her work gloves and digging into the soil.

The only good thing that's come out of it is that Ariana is a tad more dirt covered at the end of class. Luka and I have been meeting up in the Library, so that I can help him with his Charms homework, and that he can help me with Transfiguration. I'm getting better in that class, and it's mainly thanks to my brother.

In charms I got ten points for Gryffindor, when Flitwick passed the table I was sharing with Harry, and saw that I had charmed my paper three-headed dog, to be chased by my paper fire-breathing kitten. He was slightly puzzled but amused nonetheless, and complimented me on my advanced charm work.

Harry was trying to smother his laughter as the kitten blew paper fire at the dog, and it caught on fire. Between schoolwork and goofing off, school has been fairly busy, but Harry, Ron, and I always find time to work on our mystery. At breakfast one day the owls flew in with the post like they normally do, but this time two long packages are being carried by a small army of screech owls.

The owls flew over to their table and dropped the two packages in front of Harry and me, sending our breakfast everywhere. A letter was dropped on top of each package. I picked the one up from on top of mine. These look suspiciously like broomsticks. Ron is gaping at the packages, and the mess that they made.

I open the letter and see that it's from Kingsley.

_Dear Jamie,_

_I should have known that you would find some way to get around the 'no first years on House teams' rule. Professor McGonagall wrote to me and told me what had happened. I must admit that I'm shocked and impressed at the same time. I can't believe that you disregarded Madam Hooch that way. You could have gotten hurt, or worse. I trust your skills Jamie because I've seen them, but that doesn't mean that I trust the other first years. I'm disappointed that you disobeyed a rule. You know better than that now Jamie. Your parents and I raised you better than that. _

_Before you get all exasperated about how I only pick on you, don't worry. Luka has already been dealt with. His thievery of library books is wrong, but entertaining, just like you Quidditch stunt. Just so you know, the book stealing is part of a Ravenclaw house ritual. It drives Madam Pince insane; trust an old Ravenclaw on this. _

_Now, to deal with the whole Quidditch team thing, before you freak out and your friends get worried. Congratulations! I'm so proud of you! You're one of the youngest players in over a century! I'm sure you already know that, but let a proud parent gush for a few minutes. I knew that you had it in you child! As a celebratory present, I decided to get you something that will be useful to you for many years to come. With this letter should be a Nimbus 2000 racing broom. Yes, I know a Nimbus 2000. You deserve the best kiddo, for I know your life hasn't been the easiest for a long time. Hope this finds you well. _

_Send me a letter soon._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Kingsley_

I can't believe it! Oh my Merlin! Kingsley got me a Nimbus 2000! They're the best and the fastest racing broom on the market so far! Inside I'm jumping for joy, and screaming at the top of my lungs. This could possibly be one of the happiest days of my life!

Harry's face is gob smacked, and Ron is reading his note. "A Nimbus 2000? I've never even touched one of those before!" Ron groans looking longingly at Harry's package.

"Great minds must think alike then." I say with a grin. Harry and Ron wheel around to stare at me.

"You don't mean…" Ron says but then trails off. I nod my head, and Harry and I high-five over the table.

"Jamie?" Ron says.

"Yes Ron." I reply.

"I'll be your best friend for life if you let me ride your broom sometime." Ron says, with big pleading blue eyes, while sticking out his lower lip. It's hilarious to see, and I can't help but laugh.

"You're already my best friend, but sure you can ride it after I do." I tell him. Ron smiles, and scoops me into a big hug squeezing me hard. I make strangling noises while Harry laughs at us. Once I'm free, Harry and I grab our brooms to take them up to the common room to store before, class. We get stopped though by a most unwelcome sight.

Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it. "That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."

Ron couldn't resist it. "It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig." Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.

"Not arguing here I hope boys." Professor Flitwick says. He smiles at me and I smile back. I'm one of Flitwick favorite students I can tell. I'm at the top of my class in Charms, maybe even higher than Hermione, and I hardly try.

"Potter's got a broomstick professor." Malfoy squeals immediately. I glare at the weasel, and he smirks back at me. I honestly don't see what Parkinson sees in him. She must have the taste of a blind dog, with half a brain.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added."

Professor Flitwick turns to me then. "And you as well Miss Pendragon?" He asks. I smile and nod my head. Malfoy now looks officially crushed, and infuriated. We hurry past them, and up to our common room.

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.

"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good." Hermione marched away with her nose in the air. I stared after her with a sigh. She was never going to let this go was she? Harry had a hard time paying attention in class that day, and frankly so did I. Harry had a Quidditch lesson today, and I didn't since I already knew the basics and how to play.

After the last class, we hurried up to the common room, and grabbed our brooms. I brought mine up to the boys' dorm so we could unwrap them together. "Wow." Ron sighed as the two broomsticks rolled out onto the bed. It looked magnificent, even better than the pictures.

Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top. Harry had to leave after that, and I took my broom to my dorm so that I could put it away safely. Ron was going to hang out with Fred and George, but I didn't really feel like doing that. I had something else that's been nagging my mind recently.

* * *

><p>I made my way to the library in search of my brother. I had been keeping this secret from him for long enough. I've been feeling terrible about it. We never lie to each other. I guess that's what happens when you get separated for the first time in forever. I just don't think that I could stand it if we're drifting apart. I finally find him over at a private table in the corner.<p>

I groan when I see whom he's with. I come to a stop in front of them. "Luka." I whisper. My brother doesn't look up, but Ariana does from next to him. An amused look quickly comes across her face. I grab her textbook, and lift it up. She bites down on her hand to stop from laughing. I drop it on the table in front of my brother.

Wham! Luka jolts up from his seat, and topples over his chair. Madam Pince is over by us in a minute. She glares at the three of us, but she can't tell who did it. She leaves with one final stare down. "What the hell Jamie!" Luka hisses at me. I hand Ariana back her textbook, and smirk at him.

"I need to talk to you." I say. He cocks an eyebrow at me, and I shift my feet nervously. "Alone." I amend. Ariana starts to leave, but my brother grabs her arm, and keeps her in her chair. He gives me a pointed look, and crosses his arms over his chest. I blow out a breath of air, and pull out the chair across from them.

"I haven't told you something and I need to." I say. He gives me a quizzical look. "I made it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The Captain Oliver Wood wanted me to keep it a secret from others." I whisper. Ariana's eyes widen in shock but Luka only chuckles quietly. I give him an odd look.

All the dust from the books must be finally getting to my brother. "I already knew. Why else would Kingsley send you a broom? Plus, you and Harry didn't get expelled after the whole flying incident. Give me some credit Jame, I am smarter than that." He retorts softly. I lean back in my chair flustered. I've been worrying all this time over nothing?

"You made the Quidditch team in your first year?" Ariana hisses at me. I nod my head, and allow a faint grin to come on my face. "That's bloody wicked Jamie." She tells me. I smile at her for real, and nod my head.

* * *

><p>I can't believe that I've been at Hogwarts and away from home for two months now. It hardly feels that long, but I guess that homework, class, and Quidditch practice three times a week can do that to you. On Halloween morning, we woke to the smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. My mouth has been watering all day; for I love pumpkin pie, absolutely love it.<p>

The day has gotten even better for in Charms we are getting to do one of the things that I have been looking most forward to. We are going to be making objects fly today. We have all wanted to do that since we watched him make Neville's toad zoom across the classroom.

He put the class in pairs to practice. I was paired with Dean Thomas who's one of Harry and Ron's roommates. I didn't mind for he's a nice guy. He's muggle born, and he goes on about football, and he's made me want to see a match. Harry is partnered up with Seamus Finnegan, and the most unfortunate pairing is also the most entertaining to watch.

Ron and Hermione Granger have been paired together, and I'm not sure who hates the arrangement more, him or her. She still hasn't spoken to the three of us since the broomstick incident. I can't help but not feel sorry, for the first time that I went up into the air on it I was in heaven.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest." He warns us.

I grin. I wonder if I can manage to get a buffalo out of this? The look on the professor's face tells me that I should just float my feather or else. I sigh, and clear my voice. With a swish and flick I cast, "Wingardium Leviosa." My feather twitches and start floating up in the air, going higher and higher, until it reaches the ceiling.

"Well done Miss Pendragon, well done! Look everyone Miss Pendragon has done it. Fantastic work! Fifteen points for Gryffindor, for your first try!" Professor Flitwick squeaks in excitement. Harry and Ron grin at me, and I return the smile. Hermione looks a little put out that I performed the charm before her, but she shakes it off fast.

Suddenly a small explosion comes from Harry's table, and I see the burnt remains of Seamus's feather, and Harry's putting out the flames with his hat. Finnegan's face is covered in soot once again. Over at Ron and Hermione's table Ron is beginning to get frustrated as well.

He's casting the spell, and waving his long arms like a windmill. I chuckle from behind my hand at my friend's antics. Harry is not even bother to hide his amusement. "You're saying it wrong," I heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

Professor Flitwick went about applauding Hermione, and Ron gave a sour and cross look. Oh boy, I know that look by now. Harry and I are in for a long night. Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as we pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."

Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. I was slightly shocked to see that she was in tears. She hadn't seemed upset any of the other times people had said stuff about her. I winced at my own meanness, and heaved a sigh. "I think she heard you." I say.

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends." Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. I was feeling really horrible by then. On our way down to the feast we overheard Parvati talking to her friends Lavender and Alison about Hermione. Apparently she in a girl's bathroom, and doesn't want to be disturbed.

Now I officially feel downright awful. What kind of person am I? Not a very good one apparently. "Look guys, I'm going to go try to find her." I tell them. Harry and Ron give me shocked looks.

"No offense Jamie, but I don't think that Hermione's going to want to see you. She hates us!" Ron cries, but he still looks uncomfortable.

"Jamie just enjoy the feast, we can apologize later." Harry says tugging my arm lightly. I really want to go, but my conscious is tugging at me.

"You go, save me a piece of pumpkin pie!" I call back to them as I hurry away.

"We'll save you two, but no promises!" Ron shouts after me. I shove all thoughts of delicious food out of my head, as I search through the corridors, stopping at every girl's bathroom, searching for the bushy haired girl. She is seriously not making this easy since the castle is huge! Finally I push open the door to the girl's bathroom in one of the dungeon corridors.

That's it! If she's not in this one then I'm giving up, and try to get back to the feast in time for some pie. As soon as the door closes behind me, I can hear sniffling coming from the furthest stall in to room. I slowly walk up to it. "Hermione?" I question softly. The sniffling stops, and I wonder if I was imagining it.

"I know you're there Hermione." I say through the door. A loud sniff comes from the other side.

"What do you want Jamie?" She snaps. I wince at the tone of her voice. I may not like it, but I deserve it though.

"Hermione… look I want you to hear me out. I-I've come to apologize." I stutter. A sharp cynical laugh comes from the stall.

"Figures. If Ron wants to apologize then he can come do it himself!" She cries. I knit my brow in confusion.

"I haven't come to apologize for Ron… okay maybe a little, but I've mostly come to apologize for myself." I admit. There's silence for a few minutes. "Look… can you open the door, I feel kind of stupid apologizing to a plank of wood." I plead. A soft watery laugh comes from the other side, as Hermione unlocks the door, and opens it slowly.

Her brown eyes are red and puffy from crying, and her hair has gotten bushier from running her hand through it a lot. "Hey." I say softly. She doesn't respond she just crosses her arms over her chest tightly. I run my hand though my hair nervously, and glance at the ground.

"Okay, I'm just going to come right out and say this. I'm not good at talking to people. I haven't had friends before really, I mean I live with my guardian and brother, and the only other person I see a lot is Ariana, and the headmaster. So… I don't really get a lot of practice talking to kids." I explain nervously.

"Harry and Ron are my first real friends, and I love them to death. I just don't really know how to make friends besides them. I'm sorry if I insulted you, or hurt your feelings. I was annoyed with you, but it gave me no right. So I guess that's it, you don't have to forgive me, but there's an apology. I think we should head up to the feast, you haven't eaten since lunch, and I'm starving." I finish lamely.

Hermione stares at me with an unreadable look on her face. She opens her mouth to speak, when a ghastly smell fill the chamber. "Oh Merlin, is that a sewage backup?" I groan. Hermione covers her face with her hand, while I use the hem of my robe.

When I turn around, a sight that I never wanted to see greets me. Where are those fire-breathing kittens now? Heck I'd even take the demon hell-hound right about now for protection. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

"T-troll." I manage to get out. Hermione has gone white beside me. "Get back in the stall! I'll distract it!" I tell her. Her eyes go wide, and she shakes her head vigorously, pulling me by the robe into the stall behind her. The troll gives a big bellow, and then all is silent for a second before the smashing and splintering of wood, fills the air.

Hermione lets out a piercing scream, and I push her down to the floor, getting on top of her to try and protect her from the falling wood. Huge splinters scatter all over us, as the stalls are smashed to smithereens. I look up and see that the troll has his beady little eyes on us. Before I can make my next move though, the door bursts open, and Harry and Ron jump into the room.

"Hermione! Jamie!" They shouted, their eyes going wide, as they saw that I was there as well. I scramble up, and pull Hermione with me, until our backs are flat against the wall. I push her behind me, since she's frozen in fear, small cuts and bruises sting on my skin as the troll slowly advances on us, breaking sinks as he comes. How that hell did this thing manage to get into the castle?

"Ron distract it!" Harry shouts. They both start picking up shards of broken wood, and throwing it at the troll. It does no good. I reach for my wand in my robes. I pull it out and level it at the troll. Before I can do anything though, with a mighty swipe the troll has me by my legs, and it lifts me upside down into the air.

"Aaah!" I shout, as the world whirls around me exceedingly fast. The troll brings me to a stop, and I can see an upside down Harry charge the troll wand raised, and jump onto it's back hanging onto it by the neck. The troll rears his big club back, and sends it flying towards my head. Just in time I pull up, and the club goes whishing by, and back. I drop back down, panting in fear.

"Do something!" I shout. He swings again, annoyed that he didn't get me the first time. I lift up again, and it's harder to hold this time as the club comes back. I drop down, panting harder, the blood rushing to my head from being hung upside down for so long.

"What?" Ron cries.

"Anything!" Harry yells, sticking his wand up the trolls nose, as he thrashes about. He's not too happy about Harry being there, and now I'm getting shaken up. I'm either going to pass out soon or throw up, I'm not sure which one will come first though. Ron pulled out his wand shakily, and points it at the troll.

Hermione is still hunched on the floor in terror, watching the scene unfold in wide unblinking eyes. Okay I think I'm going to be sick. Ron says the first spell that comes to his mind. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He cries doing it exactly and Hermione and I had done. The troll's club levitated into the air, and when he made to come down and bash me, all that was there was air. Harry is thrown off the troll's back, and the club comes down on its thick skull— hard.

The troll drops me on the ground in a painful thud, and collapses to the floor. I groan in pain. "Jamie!" Harry cries running over to me, and gathering me in his arms. I let out another groan of pain, and open my eyes to see a blurry Harry over me. I can see Ron looking at me worriedly over his shoulder.

"I think I can face the three-headed doggy now." I mumble. Harry and Ron grin at me relieved, and Harry hugs me to him tightly. He let's go and helps me to my feet stiffly. Ron gives me a hug as well smiling.

"I did it! Did you see me?" He says happily. I grin weakly in response still getting my bearings.

"Is it — dead?" Hermione spoke for the first time.

"I don't think so," Harry says, "I think it's just been knocked out." He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue."Urgh – troll boogers." He groans. He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. We hadn't realized what a racket we had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. McGonagall turned her fierce stony face to us. There's another thing to add to my never do again list. Never mightily tick off a stern Scotts-woman, the effect is not pretty.

"What on earth were you three thinking?" She demands. "Do you realize that you could have been killed? Pendragon looks half beaten from where I stand! Why aren't you all in your dormitories?" McGonagall cries. Well bully, I have no idea what to even say to that. We were supposed to be in our dormitories. I'm so confused.

A small voice came out of the shadows. "Please Professor McGonagall. Harry and Ron were looking for me." Hermione says. Their eyes widen in shock, as McGonagall stern expression turns to Hermione.

"Miss Granger!" She exclaims.

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last. "I went looking for the troll. I thought that I could deal with it myself, since I had read about it in books. Jamie followed me trying to talk me out of it. When the troll came, I froze. Jamie was protecting me, when Harry and Ron came in. If they hadn't come in, I'd be dead right now, even with Jamie's help." Hermione lies.

The three of us can't believe it. Hermione Granger is telling an outright lie? I might faint. I'm beginning to feel much better though, nothing that a good night's sleep won't fix. We tried to look like that was the story all along, as the teachers turned their gazes to us.

"Well — in that case . . ." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" Hermione hung her head. I can't believe that she's doing this. She's purposefully getting into trouble for us. Maybe I have a concussion after all, what has this world come to? It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their Houses." Hermione left with her head hung low. Once she was gone our imposing Head of House turned to us.

To Harry and Ron she speaks first. "Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this." She tells them. They try not to smile though I can tell that they're pleased. Then she turns to me. I gulp.

"I'm impressed Pendragon, you tried to talk reason into a classmate who was being foolish, and you put their life ahead of your own, slightly foolish, but incredibly noble, ten points for Gryffindor. You should go to the hospital wing." She says slightly worried now.

"I'm fine professor all I need is some food and sleep." I say. I really don't want to go to the hospital wing. She purses her lips, and stares at me for a few moments.

"Fine but if you still look this bad off in the morning, then it's straight to the hospital wing!" She threatens shooing us out of the bathroom, and up to the dormitory. We walk in stunned silence until we get to the painting. We're wet, covered in wood dust, and I'm covered in scrapes, and some blood. In all we're a right sight to see.

The Fat Lady nearly falls out of her portrait at the sight of us. "Good heavens! I thought that Hermione was bad off!" She exclaims, a hand to her large breast.

"We should have gotten more than twenty points." Ron grumbles under his breath ignoring the Fat Lady. I smile slightly at him and the Fat Lady.

"You mean fifteen after you take out Hermione's five." Harry corrects him.

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him. I nod my head softly, and turn back to the painting.

"Pig Snout." I say, and she swings the portrait open. The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, we all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them. Another thing that I had added to my list of things never to do again, mind you it was starting to become very large.


	6. Quidditch

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>6-Quidditch<span>

The next morning I had indeed gone to the hospital wing to get the worst of my cuts and bruises healed, although, a few of them still remained on my face. Madam Pomfrey the school nurse assured me that they'd heal quickly and without a scratch, so I was pleased, plus most of the pain was gone with the potions. Great, now I'm going to have to try harder in potions, so that I'll be able to learn that one. Sigh.

At breakfast that morning my brother, who wrapped me up in a huge hug, and squeezed me to death practically. "You're never ever doing something stupid like that again! I don't care if you're a ruddy Gryffindor!" He exclaimed. Once Luka had gotten over his panic attack, Ariana came over to me. She shook her head and leveled a glare at me.

"What did I tell you about going and trying to get killed? I need you around Pendragon! Who else am I going to annoy if you kick the bucket?" She grumbles. Before I can get a retort in though, she enfolding me in a quick hug. It's the first time that we've ever hugged before. I can't help but blush at the oddness of the situation.

"You worried me." She says softly pulling away, and giving me a soft and relieved smile before venturing back over to the Hufflepuff table. I go over to the table and sit down next to Harry across from Hermione. I look at her nervously remembering our sort of conversation before the troll. She catches my unsure glances.

"Oh don't be so daft! Apology accepted! Besides, you've more than made up for all the things you've done, with what you did last night." Hermione snapped. And that was the end of that. It was never mentioned again, and our trio became a quartet, and I finally had a friend who was a girl.

* * *

><p>As we entered November the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaver skin boots.<p>

The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday Harry and I would be playing the first game of our season against Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, we would move up into second place in the House Championship. Hardly anyone had seen Harry and me play since Wood wanted to keep it a secret, for we were the team's secret weapons.

The news that we were on the team, playing Chaser and Seeker got out somehow, and now everyone knew. I just ignored all the insults to my flying, and accepted the compliments and encouragement with a small smile. Harry wasn't taking the new uptake of gossip about him very well. People were telling him either that he'd be brilliant, or that they'd run underneath him with holding a mattress, to catch him when he fell.

It was a very lucky thing that Hermione was now our friend. I usually got most of my homework done, but with all the last minute Quidditch practices that Wood has been springing on us, its been hard to keep up. Now she helped us out. Hermione had become a bit more relaxed on breaking the rules since Harry, Ron, and I had saved her from the Mountain Troll.

While Harry, Ron, and Hermione were being boring and good, I decided that enough was enough, and that if I didn't do something at least a little bit fun in the next couple of hours, that I'd blow. I climbed the steps to the common room, and told the Fat Lady the password. Once inside, I look around the room, trying to spot someone that I know. My eyes fall on a pair of redheaded twins leaning over a piece of paper on the table. I go up to them, and clear my throat.

The boys jump, and hide the paper under a newspaper. The twins turn and take me in with appraising eyes. "Ah Lady Jamie, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Fred asks, as George pulls up a chair for me. I collapse into the seat, and let out a long sigh.

"My friends are being no fun. Hermione is riding Ron to do his homework, and Harry has his nose stuck in his Quidditch Through the Ages book. I just need to do something fun, before I lose my mind!" I exclaim exasperated. Fred and George exchange mischievous looks, and turn to grin at me simultaneously.

"What would you say to livening this place up a little bit?" George asks. I feel a wide grin slowly cross my face.

"You seriously have to ask?" I reply. With that the three of us put our heads together over the table.

* * *

><p>Quite a crowd had gathered in the courtyard two hours later. Word had gotten around that students were in for a treat if they gathered there then. That rumor was started by yours truly and the Weasley twins friend Lee Jordan. We had spent the last hour and a half running around the castle casting our enchantments, and setting the time delay.<p>

The four of us managed to slip into the courtyard, through the good group of people that had shown up. I see my friends muttering on the other side of the courtyard with confused looks on their face. Harry looks sullen, and I wonder what's happened. I grin at them, and wave ecstatically as I catch their attention. They give me confused looks, and wave back.

"In three—" Fred starts.

"Two—" George goes.

"One—" I whisper.

"Here is goes!" Lee exclaims happily. Suddenly a great pounding is heard in the distance. I start bouncing slightly in my spot. George puts his hand on my shoulder to calm me down. I can't help it this is going to be exciting. Everyone is looking around in confusion wondering where the noise is coming from.

Suddenly the doors to the courtyard are thrown open, and row after row of suits of armor, are streaming into the courtyard, singing loudly. Twenty suits are in the courtyard, and they're now skipping in a circle singing our song that we picked. People are staring to laugh. They're entertaining us with a song specially chosen for the school.

_"__We're off to see the Wizard  
>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz<br>We hear he is a Whiz of a Wiz  
>If ever a Wiz there was<br>If ever, oh ever, a Wiz there was  
>The Wizard of Oz is one because<br>Because, because, because, because, because  
>Because of the wonderful things he does<br>We're off to see the wizard  
>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!"<em>

The twins and I are laughing along with everyone else now. I take my wand out of my pocket quickly, and mutter a charm under my breath. Suddenly music floods the air. Swing music fills the air, and Fred and George cast their spells on the armor. Suddenly the twenty suits pair up, and start swing dancing to the music. Students are watching in hysterics at the armor dancing across the courtyard, dipping, spinning, and swinging.

The doors are thrown open with a bang, and Professor Snape stalks outside. He stops when he sees the sight of boogying armor. The music changed so that they were now performing a western four step cowboy dance to country music. "What is the meaning of this?" Snape roars, trying to be heard over the music. That's when I get a genius idea.

I change the music again, and this time the music changes to ballroom dancing, and the suit of armor nearest to Snape reaches out and grabs him as a partner, and start dragging him through the motions. The suit of armor dips Snape low, and snaps him back up. People are roaring with laughter now, and Fred and George are reduced to tears. They glance at me, and give me huge smiles. I cast one last charm, and the music changes to a fast salsa dance.

Snape tries to pull away, but the armor holds him fast. We've drawn an even bigger crowd of people now. Fred and George can't resist one last little alteration to our plan. They change Snape's long black robes, to a red sequined dress, in bright red high heels, and a rose in his mouth. I think that I might wet myself soon! Suddenly I feel a hand on my arm, I glance over, and catch a glimpse of Ariana. She leans in close to my ear to be heard.

"I don't think that I've ever told you before, but you're a genius! This is brilliant." She says. I grin, and pull her closer to me.

"You haven't even seen the ending yet!" I tell her. Fred and George grin at each other then at me. Suddenly fireworks start whizzing into the air above us, and exploding in shades of brilliant reds, blues, and golds. Green is mysteriously left out. People are oohing in awe, and laughing. My friends look like they're having a ball. The suits of armor have gone back to swing dancing. I push my way through the crowd, and step out into the dancing armor and Snape, dodging them skillfully.

I make my way to Professor Snape. I give him a wide-eyed look of shock. "Professor why are you dressed like that? And why are you dancing?" I shout, dodging an armored foot. Snape glares at me.

"Pendragon, don't just stand there! Help me out here!" Snape shouts. I step forward, and tap the suit of armor on the arm. He drops Snape to the ground in a heap, and grabs me in turn. I squeak in surprise, as we start dancing across the courtyard. Okay, this is fun. I'm swinging back and forth so fast, that the world is starting to spin. I see the big grand finale go off.

Another suit of armor has picked up poor Snape, and he was dancing as well. The big firework goes off leaving a message in the sky in its wake. _GO GRYFFINDOR! CRUSH SLYTHERIN! HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE SHOW! _The message explodes, and little colorful shimmers fall from the sky on everyone. The music swells to a stop, and my dance comes to an end. I'm red faced and puffing when my suit lets me go, and bows to me for the dance.

I return with a dizzy curtsey, and the armor all line up again, and go trooping back inside singing about the wizard of Oz again. With any luck, they'll all return to where we found them. Everyone is cheering, whooping, and clapping, for our show, and for the fact that Snape can't seem to get out of the dress. He stumbles in his heels, and I laugh.

"When I found out who did this, this will be the last thing that they ever do at this school!" Snape yells, taking off the heels, and swooping away into the castle.

* * *

><p>Back in the common room that afternoon, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were sitting next to a window. Hermione was going over Harry and Ron's charms homework, while I was working on adding a paper troll to my collection along with the three-headed dog, and fire-breathing kitten. Hermione just rolled her eyes at me, like she couldn't believe that I was wasting my time on that.<p>

Harry looked restless, and more than a little lost without his precious Quidditch book. I know that he's nervous for the game tomorrow I mean, I am as well. That's why I pulled off the prank with the twins, to distract myself, and get some of the nervous energy out. The prank by the way was a big success. People are still talking about it, and the teachers don't know who did it.

Well they know it's the Weasley twins most likely, but they don't have the evidence to incriminate them, and me as well. Harry and Ron thought that it was about the coolest thing ever, and Hermione just gave me a disapproving look before laughing along as well. He finally got fed up, and leapt to his feet. "I'm going to go ask and see if I can get it back." Harry tells us.

I chuckle, and shake my head at him. "Are you sure that you got sorted into the right house? Even Luka wouldn't go bother Snape just to get a book back." I tell him.

"Better you then me mate. I'm not going anywhere near Snape after what she did to him today." Ron says, feigning a shiver. I grin at him, and Hermione rolls her eyes at the two of.

"Though it pains me to agree with Ron, Harry he's right." She says, turning back to the homework, before Ron could catch, her gaze. Harry grumbled about spineless friends as he exited the portrait hole. I furrowed my brow, and drew a quick paper Harry. I put him in the troll's arms, and enchanted the troll to toss the paper boy up into the air over and over again.

I grinned at my achievement. Ron snorted as he looked at the drawing. "I can see the likeness." He murmurs. Hermione grins at me, and sighs. Only a few minutes later, Harry is puffing back up to us red faced, and breathless.

"What happened?" Hermione asks looking over Harry worriedly. Harry goes into what happened when he was at the teacher's lounge. He described Snape's one bloody and mangled leg, as Filch handed him bandages. Harry said that Snape had been talking about the three-headed dog, not being able to track all three heads at once.

"Whoa." I breathe softly.

"You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him — he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

Hermione's eyes were wide. "No — he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

That was the question, what was so important that Snape would go searching for past the evil demon hound? I stared at my charmed drawing of the dog, just as the kitten set it on fire. "Hey, is that supposed to be me?" Harry demands glancing down at the small Harry being tossed around by the paper troll. I chuckle nervously, and grin.

"That's what you get for being a git to your friends." I tell him, jumping up and running, as Harry chases me around the common room.

* * *

><p>The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.<p>

"You've got to eat some breakfast." Ron says.

"I don't want anything." I resist.

"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.

"I'm not hungry." Harry groaned. Harry and I were dressed in out Quidditch jumpers, like the rest of the team, sitting across from Hermione and Ron. I woke up this morning in a cold sweat, nervous about playing my first real game of competition Quidditch. I did great in practices, so Wood and the rest have told me. Angelina, Katie, and I work well together.

Playing in a real game is just a whole other story. I was so freaked out this morning that I had padded over to Hermione's bed, and hit her with a pillow until she'd woken up, just so I could ramble nervously to her. Hermione glares at the two of us from across the table. "You two need your strength!" She cries.

Just then someone slides into the spot next to me. I turn around in surprise to see Ariana sitting there, with Luka next to her. "Watch and learn Hermione. I know exactly how to deal with stubborn Pendragons." Ariana tells her picking up a piece of toast.

"This isn't your—" I'm cut off for Ariana shoves the toast into my mouth, almost making me gag. Luka laughs, but sputters when Ariana does the same to him.

"There. See easy as pie. You better eat Jamie, for I don't want to have to visit you in the hospital wing for you've fallen off your broom. Come on Luka, we have to go and get good spots." She says dragging my brother up from the table, and waving as they left the hall.

I swallow the toast, and make a face. "I hate it when she does that." I grumble. Everyone else is snickering, and I shove another piece of toast into Harry's mouth. "Ha!" I cry, pumping my fists victoriously as he makes a face. Hermione and Ron laugh at the two of us, and Harry and I slowly eat a small breakfast.

* * *

><p>By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.<p>

Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry and me, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter & Pendragon for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.

In the mean time, Harry and I were in the locker room, sitting through Oliver Wood's pregame advice and pep talk. I sat between Angelina and Katie, who both smiled at me encouragingly. Angelina was a third year with Fred and George, and Katie was a second year. I picked at the hem of my scarlet Quidditch robes. Slytherin would be wearing green.

"Okay, men," Oliver says.

"And women," reminds Chaser Angelina Johnson.

"And women," Wood agrees. "This is it."

"The big one," says Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for," expounds George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry and me, "we were on the team last year."

"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." He finishes on a much happier note. I clutch my broom in my hand tightly, and give Harry a thin smile. He gives me a nervous look in return. I follow behind Katie and Angelina, with Fred, George, and Harry behind us. We walked out onto the field to deafening cheers.

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand. "Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once we were all gathered around her. She seemed to be directing this more at the Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint, a fifth year. He seemed to me like he might have had some troll blood in him.

High above, I caught the fluttering of the Potter & Pendragon for President banner waving in the wind. It made me feel a lot braver then I was feeling before. I noticed with a faint grimace that they only had one girl on their team. "Mount your brooms please." Madam Hooch instructs. I clamber onto my Nimbus, and flex my grip. This is just like every other time you've gone to play; nothing bad is going to happen. You'll be fine; I try to give myself a pep talk.

Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. We were off. Angelina scoops the quaffle out of the air, and streaks down the pitch toward the Slytherin side. Katie and I follow flanking her on either side should she need help. I can hear the commentary going on in the back of my mind. Lee Jordan the twin's friend is commentating.

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall's cry breaks through my concentration, as I shake off a Slytherin. Angelina gets double teamed, and she fires the quaffle to me, and I catch it securely, and tuck it to my body, shooting for the goal posts. I duck as a bludger is shot my way, and put a little extra speed to my broom. I reach the posts, and rear back my left arm, firing it at the left post. Their keeper Bletchley dives, and misses the quaffle.

Yes! "GRYFFINDOR SCORE! Great shot by new Chaser Jamie Pendragon, one of the two youngest kids to make the house team in a century!" Jordan shouts, and the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff students shout their approval, while Slytherin fans moan and groan. Slytherin regains control of the quaffle. Angelina and Katie both smile at me.

The girls and I chase down the Quaffle knocking into the players, and grabbing for the quaffle. "Was that the snitch?" Jordan's commentary shocked Pucey so much that he dropped the quaffle, and Katie Bell snatched it up, shooting the other way. I follow, and look up in time to watch Harry shoot after the snitch. He reaches for it—WHAM!

A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life. "Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goalposts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again. I gripped my broom so tight I'm surprised that the handle didn't break off. He had no right to do that to my friend! Gryffindor got a penalty shot.

Katie Bell put it through the hoops easily, and we were up 20-0. Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul —"

"Jordan, I'm warning you —"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Bell, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

I grit my teeth, and zoom after Flint who now has the quaffle in his possession. Okay now, I'm angry. I zip up to him, and pop the quaffle out of his arms, and streak back down the pitch. I look for one of my teammates to pass to, while dodging a bludger sent at me. George whacks the bludger away, and shoots me a fleeting smile.

Suddenly, I barreled into behind, and I'm almost thrown from my broom. The quaffle is gone, and back in Slytherin hands. Great. I keep moving back up and down the pitch, gaining, losing, regaining, and losing the quaffle again. The crowd starts pointing upward, and I glance up, seeing my best friend's broom zigzagging, and tossing him about all over the place. Oh Merlin's saggy pants! Fred and George are circling underneath him, so that they can catch him, if he falls.

I focused back on the game, but my nerves were on high alert. I fight with Flint for possession of the quaffle, but there's not much I can do without backup, and I'm hit by a raging bludger, in the shoulder. I cry out in pain, and tuck my injured left arm, in close to my body. Flint goes on to score five times, as I try not to fall off my broom, while flying with my non-dominant hand.

Suddenly Harry streaks past me in a mad dive to the ground. Has he seen the snitch? Harry hit the field on all fours, and I watched, as it seemed like he was going to be sick, I started lowering a little. He coughs, and something gold pops out into his hand. He got the snitch! I zoom the rest of the way down toward him.

"I've got the snitch!" He shouts, and has to steady himself as I throw myself at him, in a hug.

"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference — Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty.

* * *

><p>After the game Ron, Hermione, Harry, and I went down to Hagrid's hut to celebrate with a nice cup of tea. My shoulder still smarted, but it didn't hurt as much as before. Hermione and Ron had congratulated us with hugs, and shouts of excitement, and then we went down.<p>

Ron and Hermione started explaining what was going on, in the stands while we had been playing the game. Almost all of it was news to me since; I had been in constant motion and action during the entire game. They told me that Snape was jinxing Harry's broom so that he would fall off. Harry and Ron had to hold me back right there, for I was ready to go and give Snape a piece of my mind, and hex him off the planet for trying to kill one of my best friends!

Once I'm calmed down, Hermione explains to me in soft whispers, that to get him to stop, she went over to the teacher's bleachers, and set his robe on fire. I grinned an evil grin, and pulled the girl in for a big hug. "Welcome to the dark side Mione!" I exclaim. She chuckles, and shakes her head at me.

Hagrid on the other hand didn't seem to believe us. "It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" The four of us exchanged a look, should we tell him our suspicions?

"I found out something about him," Harry told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

Hagrid dropped the teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?" he asks.

"Fluffy?" I cry.

"Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —"

"Yes?" says Harry eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," replies Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's going to try and steal it!" Ron cries baffled.

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he just try to kill Harry?" cried Hermione. The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —"

"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" Hagrid looked furious with himself. When we left Hagrid's hut the four of us were bursting with excitement.

"I've got to go to the library!" Hermione cried, looking very gleeful at the prospect. Harry and Ron groan, but I'm worrying my lower lip.

"Jamie?" Ron asks turning to me. That get's the other two's attention as well.

"What's wrong Jame?" Hermione asks me worriedly. I focus on the three of them finally.

"Who in their right mind name a hellhound like that Fluffy?" I cry throwing my hands into the air in exasperation. The others stare at me for a second before bursting out into laughter. Hermione drapes her arm through mine, and we trudge up the hill to the castle glowing in the distance.


	7. The Mirror of Erised

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>7-The Mirror of Erised<span>

Christmas was drawing near. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and we kept as close as possible to our hot cauldrons.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. My birthday is great and it was last month. My friends, the twins, and Ariana ad all gotten together and thrown Luka and me a party, and I was grateful. This was the biggest party that the two of us had ever had, and it was a blast. I was so thankful to have my friends there to celebrate with me.

Christmas is the very best though, for it has pine trees, snow, and hot chocolate. Ariana then makes fun of me because you could get pine trees and hot chocolate any season. At that point I would pout and say that she has just ruined Christmas. The other thing that was bringing my good mood down was the smarmy weasel of a boy called Malfoy.

"I do feel sorry for those who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas for they're unwanted at home." Draco says one day in false sympathy. I grit my teeth, and attempt to not throw my ladle at his platinum blond head.

He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next.

Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family. Ron and I wanted to throttle him pretty much every time, but Hermione was getting pretty good at talking us down.

The funny thing is that I actually have a really even temper, I'm nice to everyone, but once you insult my friends, you better wish that you could've eaten all those words you said. It was true that Harry wasn't going home to his family. McGonagall had come around with a sheet of paper to take down names of who'd be staying in the castle this year for Christmas.

Ron was staying because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit his older brother Charlie, who studies dragons up there. Luka and I were going to be staying for the holidays as well. That saddened me a little because I wasn't going to get to see Kingsley, but he was on special assignment. It was a really big deal or something.

Hermione was going home for the holidays though. Her parents wanted to see her, since it was the first time that they'd ever really been apart for so long. When we left the dungeons at the end of Potions, we found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told us that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asks, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron." Hagrid replies, his cheeks turning a rosy red from the exertion. I'm awestruck by the size of the tree. It was probably ten times taller than me. If this is what Christmas is going to be like here, then I'm never going home again! I'm so distracted that I miss the whole Snape Malfoy git show, and I find that I'm not all that upset about that.

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," says Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So the four of us follow Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. The grin on my face couldn't get any larger. Hermione stares at me with an amused smile on her face.

"You're like a child in a candy shop." She tells me with a laugh. I turn to her, my blue eyes glowing with excitement and joy.

"This is going to be brilliant, one of the best Christmases ever!" I exclaim, jumping up and down excitedly. I can hear the professors chuckling at my enthusiasm but I don't care.

"Remember guys the last day of school is tomorrow, we've got a half hour left before lunch, we should be in the library." Hermione reminds us. On cue, Harry Ron, and I groan. And there goes all my happiness for the day.

"Come on Mione I can't take it anymore! I'm not meant to live amongst the books! I leave that family trait to Luka, he's part bookworm anyway!" I cry. Harry and Ron chuckle while Hermione gives me a disappointed look. Ever since Hermione has become friends with us, she and Luka have become nerd buddies as well.

They talk about countless books, that couldn't even pronounce let alone understand. This time though, we're focusing on one subject, and one subject only, that we've been on for the past month. Nicolas Flamel.

We had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were we going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book.

He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.

Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. I on the other hand thought that this was totally pointless, if he was anywhere in this library, we'd have already found him.

So I decided to go and do something that I was probably going to regret down the line. I went in search of Ariana Dumbledore. I found her over by the entrance to the library, looking like she was just about to leave. She was talking in hushed tones to her friends Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. Susan saw me approaching, and tugged on Ariana's jumper.

Before I got up to them, the two of them shot Ariana a look, and waved goodbye, starting their way to lunch. When she turns to face me, a questioning look is on her face, and curiosity sparkles in her brown eyes. "Can we talk?" I ask. She nods her head, and I follow her outside into the corridor.

We drift over to one of the stone benches and sit. "What do you want to talk about? It's not everyday that I get you speaking to me in a serious manner." Ariana states. I bite my lower lip, and shift my feet nervously. "Okay give Jamie. I know that something's bothering you." She says. I blow out a breath of air.

"Have you ever heard of Nicolas Flamel before?" I question. Ariana's eyebrows shoot up, and she analyzes me curiously.

"Why do you ask?" She asks cautiously. Okay maybe she does know something.

"Just curious is all. I've heard Kingsley mention him before, and he did so again, and while back. Do you know him?" I lie. Ariana gives me another searching look before shrugging her shoulders.

"Never heard of him, but my grandfather may know, he knows nearly everything. You need anything else?" She asks, trying to quickly wrap up our conversation. She hops to her feet and I follow.

"No but—" I start

"See you later then, I'm sure we'll see each other around at Christmas!" Ariana calls hurrying down the hall and out of sight. Great, that girl knows something. Who knew that Hufflepuffs could be so secretive? Oh who am I kidding she's a Dumbledore she was born in secrets!

Suddenly Harry comes out of the library with Madam Pince right behind him. With one last loathing look, she storms back inside. "What happened?" I ask him. Harry turns to me and sighs.

"She caught me walking a little too close to the restricted section of the library. I wonder if Flamel is in there." He ponders. I shrug my shoulders, and sit back down on the bench. Harry plops down beside me, and we start talking about having a couple epic snowball fights over the holiday.

Five minutes later Ron and Hermione come out of the library with defeated looks on their faces. We started off to lunch. "You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" Hermione says. "And send me an owl if you find anything."

"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," Ron adds. "It'd be safe to ask them."

"Very safe, as they're both dentists," She says. I bite my lip, should I tell them about the conversation that I had with Ariana? I decide to keep that to myself for the time being. I don't know why, but I don't want to put her in a tight spot with my friends, I rather just deal with her myself. When I smell the food coming from the hall, all thoughts of Ariana and Nicolas Flamel flee my mind.

* * *

><p>Once the holidays started the boys and I had a tremendously hard time keeping Flamel on our minds. We had the dormitory to ourselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so we were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. We sat by the hour eating anything we could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows — and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.<p>

Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family — in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.

It is pretty safe to say that Harry stinks at wizard's chess though. His pieces were so terrified of playing, that they were sacrificing each other. I was taking the time to catch up with my brother and my other favorite pair of twins besides Luka and myself.

Luka and I spent a lot of time, making snow angels, and snowmen, and a snow fort outside. We engaged the Weasley twins in an epic twin war, or otherwise known as a snowball fight. Currently we were tied three-three, no one getting the upper hand. Harry and Ron usually joined us in the fights, and even Ariana would get in on the fun. Things have been a little awkward between the two of us, well more awkward than usual.

I try to act like nothings wrong, and slowly she starts relaxing. On Christmas Eve I crawl into bed in my empty dorm, and grin sleepily at the thought of tomorrow, with all the food, fun, and presents. I could hardly wait.

* * *

><p>I wake early next morning, and glance down at the foot of my bed. A decent, but small pile of presents is at the foot of my bed. A grin pulls on my lips, and I quickly jamb my feet into my slippers, and scoop my gifts up in my arms. I hurry down the steps, and up the boy's steps.<p>

Luka and I decided that since we have separate common rooms, that this year, we would simply show off our gifts later at breakfast. I push into the boy's door after knocking on it. I ignore the state of the messy room, and go plop down on Harry's bed next to him. They're both wide-awake and staring at their presents, with ill contained enthusiasm.

"Let's open them!" I cry. The boys grin and nod their heads. The wrappings fly, and we start uncovering our gifts. The first gift is from Hermione; she got me a pair of dragonhide Quidditch gloves. I grin; I hope that she likes her book of successful female witches of the century I got her. I tear open the next gift, it contains a sketchpad, and muggle colored pencils.

"Thank you Harry I love it!" I cry, throwing my arms around his shoulders. He laughs and shakes me off.

"I expect good quality drawings now. If I'm going to be perpetually tossed by I troll, I want to look good while doing it." He states with a firm, look that cracks at the end. I laugh and so does Ron. All in all I get a good haul. Hagrid gave me a carved wooden walking stick that was bigger than me so that I could grow with it. He had come across me wandering the grounds many times.

Luka got me a book on jinxes and counter curses, and a jumper that had the word 'Trouble' on it. I grinned at that. It was a tradition that we had; we each gave the other a jumper with a phrase of words that signified us. Ron got me a Puddlemere United jumper and blanket. I got up and tackled him with thanks, until he blushed. He knew that that is my favorite Quidditch team.

Kingsley gave me a broom servicing kit and broom polish. From the Weasley twins I got a box of Zonko's finest pranking products. I guess that great minds think alike because I got them that as well, along with a list of prank ideas I came up with. A lumpy package that I open contains a hand knit jumper. It's a sky blue practically the color of my eyes, and it has a prancing lion stitched on it. Harry has one as well, only his is scarlet, and has the traditional Gryffindor roaring lion.

"Hey mum's made you Weasley sweaters. I told her about you two. She knew that you both didn't have any parents… sorry 'bout that." He says, opening his own sweater. "Oh no… every year she always make a jumper, and every year mine's maroon." Ron groans. I smile softly down at the warm soft material. No one's ever made a sweater for me before, never a mum.

A lump forms in my throat. I haven't had a woman to look up to since I was a toddler. Kingsley is great and all but… a lot of times I find myself wishing that I had a mum again. I pull the jumper over my head as does Harry. Warmth immediately fills my body and I smile. I have one last gift waiting for me. I open it up and see that it's a knit cap that has a fire-breathing dragon on it, and the dragon is riding a broom. The cap is a deep blue, and the dragon a maroon red.

I look at the tag. It's from Ariana. A smile tugs at my face, and I get a warm tug in my gut. I slip the cap on over my head, and grin as my ears start to warm up. Ron thanks me for the Chudley Cannons poster and blanket that I got him, and Harry grins at me when he sees the book I gave him.

It's 101 ways on how to make fun of your enemy. Yes, I got it with Malfoy the weasel in mind. I'm ridiculously pleased with my presents this year. I couldn't ask for more. I sat back and watched as Harry and Ron finished opening their gifts. Harry opens his final parcel, when a fluid silvery gray material slid out, and onto the floor where it lay in gleaming folds.

My eyes widen in shock. It can't be. Ron's mouth drops open with half chewed chocolate in it. "No way." Ron and I breathe at the same time. Harry looks at us oddly, before picking the cloak up from the floor.

"What is it?" Harry asks us.

"Put it on!" I encourage him, my excitement beginning to grow. Imagine all the stuff we can pull, and the places we can go!

"It's an Invisibility Cloak, I'm sure of it, try it on!" Ron says. Harry slips the cloak around his shoulders, and Ron gives a yell while I smile somewhat stupidly. Harry's body has disappeared from the head down.

"Wicked!" I cry. That must be the best present ever! "There's a note! A note fell out of it, read it!" I say. Harry bends down and picks it up. He begins to read it aloud to us.

"Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A very merry Christmas to you." Harry reads a look of awe and confusion on his face. "No one signed it." He says.

"I'd give anything for that, anything." Ron says admiring the cloak. I agreed for the most part, but there are things in life more important than an invisibility cloak. Before anyone can say anything else Fred and George Weasley, my favorite pranksters come into the room.

"Merry Christmas!" They crow.

"Look Harry and Jamie have Weasley sweaters as well!" George cries.

"They're better then ours as well. I guess mum tries harder for people who aren't in the family." Fred sighs. They're wearing blue sweaters with large yellow letters on them one an F and the other a G.

"Come on Ron put yours on they're lovely and warm." Fred remarks to Ron. Ron groans mumbling about hating maroon, but pulls it over his head nonetheless.

"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge." I laugh at the two of them.

"What's all this noise?" Percy Weasley demands coming into the dorm. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.

"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."

"I — don't — want —" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.

"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family." They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. I laugh in their wake and begin to gather up my trash and presents.

"This has so far been the best Christmas ever!" I exclaim smiling at my two best friends, wishing that my third were here as well.

* * *

><p>I have never seen a Christmas feast like this in my entire life! A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce — and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. Mine didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice.<p>

Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him. Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver Sickle embedded in his slice.

I watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided. Harry and I each got a wizards chess set from some more crackers, and Ron got a long fuzzy rainbow scarf, which made him blush, as others laughed.

What shocked me the most though was that Ariana, who was sitting next to her grandfather, had a small brown knit badger perched on her shoulder which was nuzzling her neck, the entire meal. I had made and enchanted that badger as her Christmas gift, I was shocked that she had it with her; then again I was wearing her hat.

Luka sat on my other side, wearing his very own Weasley sweater, I didn't know how she knew to make one for him, but I was grateful. His was the same light blue shade as mine, and had a dark blue raven swooping down from the sky on it. He had thanked me profusely for the jumper and book, and I thanked him for my gifts as well.

Before leaving the great hall, I caught up to Ariana. "Hey, you have it with you." I tell her, staring at the badger that I made for her. It paws at my finger playfully, and she giggles at me.

"He's wonderful. His name is Rupert in case you were wondering." Ariana tells me. I smile at that. Rupert the badger, it's fitting.

"Thanks for my cap by the way, brilliant stitch work." I grin. Ariana blushes slightly at my comment.

"Did you get it, a dragon riding a broom? That's you playing Quidditch Pendragon. All heart and fiery spirit." She says. Now it's my turn to fidget and blush.

"Well thanks again. Oh hey! Are you going to come join our snowball fight? It's going to be epic, forts, banks, and all!" I persuade. Ariana laughs at me.

"Now how can I refuse that? Just let me put Rupert back in my dorm so he says safe. Grandfather thought he was brilliant and shows exceptional charm work. I happen to think so as well." She tells me, and vanishes down the corridor.

Harry, Ariana, Luka, and I had a furious snow war with the Weasleys that lasted for two hours straight. We returned to the castle cold, wet, and slightly frozen but it was worth it. While warming up in front of the fire, Harry lost spectacularly to Ron at wizarding chess, while I read my book on jinxes from my brother. He really does know me too well.

After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor Tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. I may or may not have joined in at some point. Full and tired I said good night to all the boys, and climb up to the empty girls' dormitory, and to my room. I changed into my pajamas that had centaurs all over them, and crawled into bed.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep with a satisfied smile on my face, sure to be dreaming of small badgers, dragons flying broomsticks, and Percy Weasley chasing Fred and George around the common room.

* * *

><p>The next morning Ron and I sat across from Harry with identical looks of shock on our faces. I feel like I've been stupefied. "You could have woken me up you know." Ron says, beginning to look upset.<p>

"I'm going back tonight you can both come. I want to show you the mirror." Harry says excitedly.

"I'd like you see your mum and dad." I say. Ron nods eagerly and Harry grins at us.

"I want to see your parents as well, all the Weasleys, and Jamie we can see your parents!" Harry tells us. I give him a soft smile, but something unpleasant has started to churn in my gut.

"You can see them any old time," says Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people, shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"

Harry gets a weird look on his face, and he doesn't eat his breakfast. I glance over to the Ravenclaw table to see my brother eating with a book open in front of him. "I'll see you guys later. I want to hang out with my brother a little today." I say hurriedly getting up from the table, and going over to his. I plop down next to him, and Luka turns his attention to me.

"Hey Jamie what's up?" He asks. I bite my lower lip again, and Luka closes his book.

"Can we talk Luka?" I question. My twin nods his head, and we both get up from the table leaving the hall, with the book in hand. We find an abandoned classroom and shut the door behind us.

"What's wrong Jamie?" Luka asks me the second we're alone. I let out the breath of air that I hadn't noticed that I was holding.

"Well… it's about mum and dad." I start. Luka raises an eyebrow at me, and hauls himself up onto a table. "You miss them right?" I ask. Luka gives me a confused look.

"Of course Jamie." He says. I nod my head, and start pacing back and forth in front of him.

"Well… what if I don't miss them as much as I did before? I mean, we have grown up with family; we're not in Harry's situation. I know that they loved us, and I love them to, but I just… don't miss them as much as he seems to. Is that bad?" I ask him. Luka stares at me for a long time, before coming over to me, and wrapping me in a hug.

"No Jamie that's not bad, I think it's normal. Kingsley has taken care of us practically for our whole lives. Mum and Dad trusted him, they trusted him with us, and I think they'd want us to let go of a lot of the sadness that comes with missing them. They'll always be out parents Jamie, but its okay to not miss them as much." Luka says softly.

I feel my lower lip start to tremble, and I bury my face in his shirt, so that he won't see my tears. "I miss them as well, but like you not so much that I think about them all the time. I know that they want us to be happy, and we are, sure it would be even better if they were here, but they can't be, so we're stuck as we are." He tells me.

We spend a few more minutes holding each other, then I pull away, wiping at the last tear on my cheek. I see Luka do the same out of the corner of my eye. "Thanks Luka, you're the best." I tell him. He smiles softly, and grins at me.

"You're not half bad yourself Jamie." He replies, and with that we go our separate ways.

* * *

><p>That night Harry, Ron, and I were all crowded underneath the cloak, crawling along the corridors in the dark. It was cold, and we kept jumping at the smallest of noises. We had been walking for about an hour or so, and I was starting to think that Harry didn't know where we were going.<p>

"I'm freezing— let's forget it and go back." Ron whines. I nod my head. It's starting to really get cold, and my dragon pajamas can only do so much.

"No its here! I know it is… look there the armor!" Harry hisses. We shuffle forward hurriedly, and push open the door. Once inside Harry drops the cloak, and races forward to the tall mirror. Ron and I approach it slowly. I take the sight in. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_.

"See?" Harry whispered.

"I can't see anything." I say

"Look! Look at them all . . . there are loads of them. . . ." Harry cries.

"I can only see you." Ron tells him.

"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." Harry demands.

Ron steps in front of the mirror, and his eyes grow wide. "Look at me!" he said.

"Can you see all your family standing around you?" Harry asks.

"No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm Head Boy!" Ron cries.

"What?" I cry.

"I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too!" Ron says a dreamy look on his face. Okay I wasn't expecting that one. "Do you think this mirror shows the future?" Ron asks. I shrug my shoulders, while Harry shakes his head.

"How can it my family is dead." He says sadly. Harry turns to me then. "Jamie you go. See if you can see your parents." Harry tells me. I swallow, and back away nervously.

"I-I'm not sure…" I say trailing off. Ron and Harry come over to me, and push me forward.

"Come on it doesn't hurt." Ron chides, pushing me until I'm standing directly in front of the glass. I only see myself for a few seconds but then three people suddenly appear beside me. Luka is next to me, and he's smiling sadly, holding my hand. My reflection suddenly has a sad smile as well.

Standing behind me is a strong tall figure, with a head of shaggy sandy blond hair on top of it. The man has a happy, but tremulous smile on his face, and his sky blue eyes that are so like Luka's and mine, are shining with tears in them. He has his hand on my shoulder, and a proud look on his face. His other arm is wrapped around the waist of the woman standing next to him.

Her honey brown hair falls in shining waves down her back, and her bright green eyes are full of tears. She seems to be half laughing, and half crying, with one of her hands on Luka's shoulder, and the other one on mine. My Dad and Mum are staring out at me. I can remember more bits and pieces from when I was young with them now.

My dad taking Luka and me on his broom without mum's permission, my mum singing me to sleep while smoothing out my hair when I'm sick, Luka on dad's shoulders while I'm in mum's arms as we walk through Diagon Alley. I blink, and feel a tear streak down my cheek.

"Jamie…" Harry asks me worriedly. I swallow at stare at my parents' faces again. My dad smiles at me, and mouths 'Its okay'. I jump and stare at them disbelievingly. My mum grins, and I'm shocked to see that it looks like my own; she mouths 'We'll always love you'. I stare at them one last second, then break away from the mirror, scrambling back, until I hit the classroom wall. I sink down to the floor, and bury my faces in the knees of my dragon pajamas.

"Jamie!" Ron cries. The two of them race over to me. I saw my parents again… and they weren't in pictures. They told me that it was all right to keep moving on, that they'd always love me. I pull away from my knees, and slowly bring my gaze up to my worried friends.

"Its okay. I saw my parents… and they told me that it was all right." I tell them with a watery smile. Ron and Harry give me a worried look, but then turn back to the mirror, they start fighting over it, when we hear a noise outside.

"Quick!" Harry cries holding up the cloak, and the three of us dive underneath it. The luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door, and we froze, praying that Invisibility Cloaks worked on cats. After what seemed like ages she left.

"Come on she might have heard us!" I hiss, and the three of us start making our way back to the common room.

* * *

><p>The snow hadn't melted by tomorrow. The three of us sat in the common room of Gryffindor tower. Ron was trying to convince Harry to play some chess with him, but Harry wasn't listening. It was scary to see him acting this way; it was like he was obsessed with the mirror.<p>

I was sketching a paper raven that I could charm and give to Luka. I look up from my drawing, and fix Harry with a stare. "Don't go back to the mirror tonight Harry. You can't keep doing this to yourself." I tell him.

"Yah mate, there's something to right with it. Loads of things could go wrong." Ron agrees. Harry glares at him.

"You sound like Hermione." Harry states. I sigh and set my sketchbook down, and turn my full attention to my friend.

"Come on Harry, I know that seeing your parents is nice, but they wouldn't want you spending all your time there. They'd want you to be happy, and go on with your life." I tell him half pleading. I really don't like what that mirror does to people.

"You don't get it Jamie! I'm not like you, I can't just stop caring about my parents!" Harry cries. I wince, and stare at him in disbelief. I can't believe that he just said that. I get up and pick up my pad and pencils. I start for my dorm.

"Jamie wait! I-I didn't mean that!" Harry cries after me. I don't bother to turn around, and go up to my room, and sit down on my bed. I care about my parents, I really do. Harry's comment hurt though. An hour later, I climb the steps cautiously to see Ron sitting there, playing a game of chess against himself. I go over and plop down in the seat across from him.

"Harry was out of line. He shouldn't have said that to you. I know you care about your parents Jamie." Ron tells me. I smile at him gratefully, and we start a game of chess. I manage to hold better then usual against him, but Ron still ends up winning in the end.

The portrait hole swings open, and Harry climbs through, a pensive look on his face. He stops when he sees the two of us sitting there waiting for him. "Jamie… I'm sorry, I know you miss your parents, I was— I was messed up, that mirror…" He says, but I don't allow him to finish.

I get up, and go over to hug my friend. "It's okay Harry, I forgive you. The mirror messes with your mind that's all." I tell him. Harry smiles gratefully at me, and I grin softly in return. We spent the rest of the night, playing chess, and sharing jokes, like nothing had ever happened, but the mirror was still out there, waiting to be found again.


	8. Nicolas Flamel

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>8-Nicolas Flamel<span>

The rest of the holiday passed without any excitement. Harry didn't go back out in search of the Mirror of Erised, which he explained showed you your deepest desires. The day before term started up Hermione came back. I had tackled her in a big hug, ecstatic to have my friend back. Now I wasn't going to be all alone in the dorms anymore!

When Harry told us about the dreams that he's been having, Ron and I told him that it was messing with his head. Hermione had a different view on things though.

She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.

They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Harry and I had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.

Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training.

I was happy for my friend, but I was beginning to become worn out. Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words. "Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin." The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.

"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us." I couldn't believe our luck, just what I needed the Dungeon Bat coming out to ref our next game. I'm sure that he'll penalize us just for the mere fact that Harry and I are on the team.

While everyone else stuck around to complain about it, Harry and I hurried to the common room to tell Ron and Hermione what just happened. When we busted into the room, we found the pair playing an intense game of chess. Chess happened to be one of the few things Hermione lost at, so secretly the three of us were pleased, for we thought that she needed to lose every once in a while.

Ron held his hand up for silence, as he effectively took out Hermione's rook putting her in checkmate. When they turned to stare at us, their eyes widened. "You look terrible!" Ron cries. Hermione gets up, and conjures a rag; she comes over to me, and starts wiping my face off.

"Jamie, how did you get so much mud on your face?" She asks me.

"The Weasley twins." I say as if it should have been obvious from the get go. Hermione rolls her eyes, and continues to scrub at my face, while Harry explains about Snape's new desire to become a Quidditch referee. I try to squirm out of my friend's grasp, but she only holds on tighter.

"Don't play." Hermione says at once, finally done torturing me.

"Say you're ill." Ron suggests.

"Pretend to break your leg." Hermione offers.

"Really break your leg." Ron responds. Hermione and I both hit Ron in the arm at the same time.

"Well I can't there isn't a reserve Seeker. Jamie and I have to play, she's one of the best Chasers, and the three girls work together flawlessly." Harry points out. I nod my head, and rub my raw cheek. At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione and me, who leapt up and performed the counter curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" Hermione asks him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!" Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out. I pat his shoulder reassuringly.

"You're a much better person then that smarmy weasel Neville." I tell him with a smile. He gives me a tiny one in return.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin." Harry hands him a chocolate frog. Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.

"Thanks, Harry . . . I think I'll go to bed. . . . D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?" As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.

"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever —" He gasped. He stared at the back of the card.

"What is it?" I ask him turning to peer over his shoulder.

"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.

"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry, Ron, and I barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. At last she found what she was looking for.

"I knew it! I knew it!" She cries.

"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.

"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"

"Are you serious?" I demand, my eyes widening. Hermione nods her head enthusiastically, but the boys were clueless.

"The what?" said Harry and Ron.

"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look — read that, there." She says pushing the book in front of us.

_The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal._

_There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)._

I stare off into space with an excited look on my face. A sorcerer's stone, wow! "See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

" A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?" We all laugh, and go off into daydreams about what we'd do with countless gold and eternal life.

* * *

><p>As the match dawns nearer Harry and I start getting nervous. A few days ago Harry had decided that he was going to play, and now the entire team was in a nervous mood. Luka has taken to grumbling about hexing Snape so hard that all he'd see was purple, if the teacher caused me to get hurt.<p>

Ariana took to sending me encouraging glances, while still rooting for her team at the same time. I still haven't figured her out yet. She knows about Flamel I'm positive. Does that mean that she knows that her grandfather is hiding it in the castle as well?

As our friends dropped us off at the locker rooms, I tried to give Harry an encouraging smile. "Don't worry Harry, if Snape does anything to you, I'll run into him accidentally with my broom." I say. Harry smiles at me gratefully, and we separate to go change.

I couldn't help but feel my nerves kicking up in my stomach as I pull on my robes, and fasten my guards to my arms and legs. When we're sitting in a group for our pep talk, my leg in bouncing up and down from nerves. Angelina puts her hand on my knee, to steady me. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." She tells me. I nod my head, and glance at Harry.

He looks particularly pale. While Snape may hate me, he particularly loathes Harry for some still unknown reason. "The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even — blimey — Dumbledore's come to watch!" Harry and I perk up immediately.

We scramble to the door beside him, and peer out. Yep, you can't mistake that long silver beard. I let a relieved sigh go. We're saved, Snape can't kill us when the Headmasters around. That might have been why Snape looked so angry when we marched out onto the field.

The game started with the whistle, and we were off. I was playing fast and furious, catching and throwing the quaffle, and getting hit at practically every turn. At least I was managing to dodge the bludgers. Snape wasn't being fair at all in his refereeing. Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a bludger at him. I grinned, and returned my focus onto what I was doing.

I had possession of the quaffle when suddenly Harry streaked down in front of me in pursuit of the snitch. Come on Harry, end this game, make the time spent with Snape end. I had just gotten a goal, when Harry came out of his dive with the snitch clutched in his hand. We won! It was the fastest game ever played, but we won!

I came down from the hoops, and tackled my best friend in a hug. The game had barely lasted five minutes total. Snape was furious and he spat bitterly on the ground. Dumbledore came over to the two of us. "Well done, spectacularly played you two. Harry, it's good to see that you're not brooding about the mirror. Jamie well done, you've improved much. I remember when you were no higher than my knee, streaking around my yard." He tells me. I grin, and thank him, intent on going to find my brother.

* * *

><p>"You know, I should have just stayed up in the castle, I walked all that way and only got to see you score once, and the whole game took less time then it did to get there!" Luka cries throwing his arms up in defeat while he sighs. I snort and give my brother a shove, off the bench that we're sitting on.<p>

"Oi! There's no need to bruise Jame! I'm not as burly and tough as my rough and tumble sister." Luka whines, crawling back up. I snicker, and lean my head back to glance up at the steely gray sky that's overhead. "Jamie?" Luka asks me softly. I turn my head to take in my brother.

I'm shocked for a moment when I realized how long his hair's gotten, curling down into his blue eyes, and that's he's grown a little taller. I guess that I have as well, but it's still shocking to see. "What's up Luka?" I ask. He scuffs his shoes on the stone ground, and glances away nervously.

"You're not going to do anything stupid with your friends are you?" He asks so suddenly, that I almost fall off the bench myself.

"What are you talking about Luka?" I demand.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione… you guys seem to get into stuff. The four of you won't go off and get expelled right? I mean, I don't see much point in attending a magical school if you're not going there with me." He tells me. I smile softly at my brother, and give his hand a squeeze.

"I won't do anything stupid. We usually have a good reason for the things that we do. Besides, I don't think that I would be me, if I didn't take some risks." I joke. Luka laughs and nods his head.

"All right… as long as you don't go and die on me." He says. I grin, and bump his shoulder with mine.

"Don't worry brother dearest, you're stuck with me until we're old and our brains rot out. We'll be those two old people sharing a house, and yelling at young witches and wizards, to stop playing Quidditch so close to our house!" I cry jumping to my feet, and pulling my brother up with me.

"Oh joy, you make me so look forward to it!" Luka groans, but there's laughter in his voice.

"You're stuck with me now!" I call behind me as I start into the castle.

* * *

><p>"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione squeaks. The three of us have been waiting for him outside the common room.<p>

"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right — talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."

"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this. . . ." He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus-pocus'— I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through —"

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" I ask, dread in my voice.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," Ron groans. Our problems seem to be growing larger by the moment, and I have the bad feeling that I'll be having another conversation with one Miss Dumbledore.


	9. Norbert the Norwegian Rideback

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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><p><span>9-Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback<span>

It was a great relief for Quirrell seemed to be braver then I had originally thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.

Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I would press our ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter. I usually kept quiet, for he still gave me the creeps.

Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color-coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same. I already had a deal with Luka on studying. We would get together with Ariana, and put out heads together over the books, though I was reluctant.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away." Ron groans.

"Ten weeks," Hermione snaps. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."

"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminds her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me. . . ."

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry, Ron, and I spent most of our free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.

"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day we'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming. I was twirling my wand through my fingers when Ron made me jump.

"Hagrid! What are you doing here?" He asks. I whip my head around to look at him. Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'," he says, in a shifty voice that got our interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looks suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago, and we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St —" Ron says getting cut off.

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looks around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," Harry says, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy —"

"SHHHH!" says Hagrid again. "Listen — come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh —"

"See you later, then," I say quickly. Hagrid shuffles off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" Hermione asks thoughtfully. I shrug my shoulders, and look over at her work. She pushes me away with an annoyed glare.

"I don't know, I'm just curious if he's ever been in the library before." I say, getting up and stretching my legs out. All this library business has serious knocked me out of whack. I need to be outside, and getting some sun. I'm not meant to be a creature that's kept indoors at all times, people should have read my label.

"I'm going to go look in the section he was in." Ron says jumping up. He'd do anything to get away from the homework. He comes back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slams them down on the table.

"Dragons!" he whispers. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him," Harry tells us.

"But it's against our laws," Ron explains. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden — anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

I nod my head already knowing all this. When your last name is connected to dragons you start to know these kinds of things, even if your family has nothing to do with them in actuality. Harry is freaking out about there being actual dragon in Britain, while I'm biting my lower lip. Hagrid better not have what I think he has, this year has been wild enough as is already.

"So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" Hermione wonders. That's what we're all wondering, and I'm not looking forward to the answer.

* * *

><p>When we knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, we were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let us in, and then shut the door quickly behind us. It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made us tea and offered us stoat sandwiches, which we refused.<p>

"So — yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?" Hagrid inquires nervously.

"Yes," Harry says. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy." Hagrid frowned at him.

"O' course I can't," he says. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could, that Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts — I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," I say in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and we could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." I go on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words, Harry, Ron, and Hermione beam at me.

"Well, I don' s'ppose it could hurt ter tell yeh that . . . let's see . . . he borrowed Fluffy from me . . . then some o' the teachers did enchantments . . . Professor Sprout — Professor Flitwick — Professor McGonagall —" he ticks them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell — an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

"Snape?" Hermione asks in shock. Hagrid gives the four of us an incredulous look.

"Yeah — yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it." Hagrid grumbles. We share a look; if Snape helped protect it then it would be easy to figure out how the other teachers were protecting the stone.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" asks Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," Hagrid says very proudly.

"Well, that's something," I mutter to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling." I plead. Hagrid shakes his great head at me.

"Can't Jamie sorry." Hagrid says glancing into the fire. It catches out attention though.

"Hagrid — what's that?" Hermione asks. But I already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.

"Ah," says Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's — er . . ."

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" asks Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."

"Won it," Hagrid explains. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" Hermione cries. I was starting to wonder the same thing. We're not talking about a small paper dragon that I draw in my sketchpad; we're talking giant-sized, and fire-breathing real.

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," says Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library — Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit — it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here — how ter recognize diff'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.

"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," Hermione cries exasperated. But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire. Oh boy, we're doomed.

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.

* * *

><p>"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighs as evening after evening we struggled through all the extra homework we were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts.<p>

Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: It's hatching. Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?" Ron whines.

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing —" She's cut off.

"Shut up!" Harry whispers, glancing at Malfoy who's nearby. Ariana is next to me, and giving the four of us curious looks. I'm still partnered up with her, and there's nothing to do about it, Professor Sprout is under the impression that we work well together, I don't know how she came up with that though.

I give her a nervous look, and bite my lower lip. If I tell Ariana, she might tell her grandfather and then Hagrid will get in trouble, and I don't want that. Malfoy was giving us curious and knowing looks, and I didn't like that at all. Ron and Hermione bickered all through Herbology, and we agreed to go see him during morning break.

I just hoped that the smarmy weasel knew enough to mind his own bloody business. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the four of us dropped our trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted us, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out." He ushered us inside. The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it. It was completely fascinating and I forgot that it was going to turn into a dangerous man-crushing creature for a few minutes. We all drew chairs up to the table and watched in baited breath.

Hermione was gripping my hand hard underneath the table in her excitement. "Ow Mione." I murmur, trying to bring circulation back into the appendage. All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; I thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body; it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout. "Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmurs. He reaches out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snaps at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. "Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" Hagrid coos at the small reptile.

"Hagrid," Hermione asks, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face — he leapt to his feet and ran to the window. "What's the matter?" Ron cries.

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin' back up ter the school." Hagrid says anxiously.

Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him. Malfoy had seen the dragon. Evil smarmy weasel git!

* * *

><p>Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I very nervous. We spent most of our free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him. "Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."<p>

"I can't," Hagrid cries. "He's too little. He'd die." They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his game keeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

"I've decided to call him Norbert," Hagrid says, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"

"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear. I totally agreed, first a giant three-headed hell beast, now a dragon, Hagrid was on a roll to kill me one of these days.

"Hagrid," I say loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment." Hagrid bit his lip.

"I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't." Hagrid mutters. Harry suddenly turned to Ron.

"Charlie," he says.

"You're losing it, too," Ron crows. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie, in Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!" Harry exclaims, slapping his hand down on the table.

"Brilliant!" says Hermione. "How about it, Hagrid?" And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.

* * *

><p>The following week dragged by. Ariana kept giving me inquiring looks, and cornering me in the hallways, because I've been avoiding her, and Luka has gone missing in action on me, because he's taking studying for his exams way more seriously than any first year ever should, he's even giving Hermione a run for her money.<p>

Though I think that if she didn't have Norbert to deal with, with us that'd she be in the exact same position as him. Some days I wonder how she even managed to get into Gryffindor, when she has the love of knowledge and studying of a Ravenclaw. I'm glad she's in my house though; I don't really like the other girls who share our room.

Tonight I'm not happy though. It was Ron's and my turn to help Hagrid look after Norbert the fire-breathing baby death machine. Things hadn't gone as planned at all. The bloody monster bit Ron, when he tried to feed him, and blew fire at us, which managed to catch my right arm on fire up to my shoulder! I was in so much pain it wasn't even funny!

The two of us cursed silently all the way up to the common room under the Invisibility Cloak. When we burst through the portrait, the clock on the wall had just chimed midnight. Ron threw the cloak off us in disgust. "It bit me! The bloody dragon bit me, and nearly burned off Jamie's arm!" Ron cries. He waves his hand and Harry and Hermione, showing them the bloody handkerchief wrapped around his hand.

Hermione hurries over to me, a look of shocked horror on her face when she sees my raw and blistered red burned skin that's slightly bleeding in some places. "Oh Merlin Jamie!" She exclaims, running up to the dorm to go get some bandages, and mild healing balm. Harry looks at the two of us in ghastly horror.

"Bloody hell." He swears. Ron took that as his cue to continue on in his rant, as Hermione returned, and started placing the balm on my arm and shoulder.

"I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby." Ron exclaims in fury. I'm crying again by now, and Hermione is biting her lip trying to ignore my flinches and tears, as she tries to treat me.

"I'm sorry Jamie, I'm so sorry." She keeps muttering softly, treating me like a small child, and I feel like I am one. Harry hadn't taken his eyes off of Hermione and me. I think that the gravity of the situation just struck him; I think that it just struck all of us. There was a tap on the dark window.

"It's Hedwig!" Harry says, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!" The four of us put their heads together to read the note.

_Dear Ron,_

_How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon._

_Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark._

_Send me an answer as soon as possible._

_Love,_

_Charlie_

We looked at one another. "We've got the Invisibility Cloak," Harry says. "It shouldn't be too difficult — I think the cloak's big enough to cover two of us and Norbert." It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the rest of us agreed with him, anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy.

* * *

><p>There was a problem with our plan though. I couldn't sleep at all last night, and by early morning, I was in constant tears, so Hermione brought me to Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing, chiding softly for she thought that I should have gone last night. Madam Pomfrey was alarmed and went straight to work, ushering me into a bed, and shoving a calming draught and a pain numbing solution down my throat.<p>

She demanded to know what happened. We made up the lie that I was involved in a potion draught gone wrong. She seemed to believe me, and chided me for not coming to her sooner. She was going to have to regrow the skin, but luckily I wouldn't scar. I was thankful, and Hermione left me with the assurance, that she'd come back with the boys later.

I shouldn't have been worried. At morning Ron's bit hand had swelled twice its normal size, and by afternoon, it had turned a sickly green color. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous. He had told Madam Pomfrey that it was a dog bite, but it seemed like she didn't believe him. She was keeping the pair of us over the weekend because of the seriousness of our injuries.

By the end of the day Ron was a right state worse, and I was in tears again, as my skin slowly, and painfully regrew itself. Harry and Hermione looked horrified for us. Harry sat by Ron's bed, while Hermione sat by mine, gripping my uninjured hand tightly. Ron was busy telling them how he felt. I was pretty sure that they could guess my state of mind.

"It's not just my hand," he whispers, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me — I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this." Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.

"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," Hermione says, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.

"Midnight on Saturday!" He cries in a hoarse voice. "Oh no — oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."

I groan in frustration and pain, and Hermione squeezes my hand tighter, and puts a cool washcloth on my forehead. Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron and I needed sleep.

* * *

><p>One of the bad things about being stuck in the hospital wing, besides the pain and agony was the fact that I was easy to corner. Luka and Ariana took advantage of this fact a lot. Harry and Hermione were going out to smuggle Norbert out of Hogwarts, and what am I doing? I'm lying in a bed cursing the ruddy beast for putting me in the hospital wing.<p>

I'm going to have to rethink my last name. I used to think that dragons are cool, this one definitely wasn't. Ron was pretty much occupied for our stay, for he was either passed out cold, or throwing up into rubbish bins. As long as I sat still and didn't move my arm a muscle, the pain from my skin wouldn't be as excruciating as it had been.

When Luka came flying into the hospital wing, he looked like a cross between a frightened fairy, and an angry troll. He skidding over to me side, and gaped at my arm. "Blimey Jamie! I can't leave you alone for a minute!" He exclaims sitting down in a chair next to my bed.

"What can I say, I suck at potions." I murmur. Luka gives me a disbelieving look.

"Come on Jame, we both do fairly well in that class, the only way you'd blow something up, is if you did it on purpose." He tells me. I give him a sheepish smile, and my brother groans. He rubs his hand over his face, then through his hair.

"You know what, I don't feel sorry for you then. Come on Jamie! What would happen if Kingsley knew half of the stuff that you pull here?" Luka demands. I shrug my good shoulder painfully. My brother blows out a breath of air.

"You're not exactly one to talk though Luka. You've been doing stupid stuff as well. Messing with the giant squid in the lake, playing chicken with the Whomping Willow, shooting cheering charms at Slytherins behind their backs." I list. My brother turns red, and I roll my eyes. Boys.

"Yeah but I haven't ended up in the hospital overnight yet!" He hisses back. I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Don't think that I don't know about your disastrous enchanted Bertie Botts experiment. I mean seriously, bright purple skin? I thought that Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart." I shoot back. My brother sighs in defeat, and I smile softly at him through the pain.

"Luka we're kids, we're meant to do stupid stuff, how else will we learn 'eh Wise Guy?" I prod him. Luka smiles at me softly, and squeezes my good hand.

"I guess that we wouldn't be us if we stuck to the rules." Luka admits to me softly. I grin back at him. No brother dear, we definitely wouldn't.

* * *

><p>An hour after Luka had left, Ron was passed out after a rather violent expulsion session into the bin. I was just about to close my eyes to attempt to erase the horrific sight from my mind, when I get another visitor. I swing my gaze over to the door, and groan inwardly when I see whom it is.<p>

Ariana Dumbledore comes to the foot of my bed, and gives my injury a long calculating look. I can't tell what she's thinking from the look in her eyes, and that's never a good sign. She comes over to my bedside, and brings the chair closer to me. She sits down, and leans in close.

"I know that that's not a potion explosion." She hisses at me angrily. I wince, and attempt to scoot away from her, but my injury protests.

"I dunno what you're talking about Dumbledore, I was there when it happened." I mutter. Her eyes flash gold in anger, and she grips my good hand hard. That poor hand, it's been through a lot today.

"I know about the dragon Pendragon." She whispers madly. I gulp, and glance over at my passed out friend. Great, where are reinforcements when you need them?

"What dragon? You're off your rocker." I lie to her. Ariana gives my hand another painful squeeze.

"I'd smack you right now, if you weren't already in such a state! You four have been running down to Hagrid's hut every single day, and no one has seen what he's doing except for flashes of light in the windows at night. There have been fewer chickens around his place, and you've been drawing dragons a lot more recently Jamie. I know that you draw what's stressing you out." Ariana says.

I stare at her gob smacked for a few minutes. Wow, she certainly knows a lot more than most people, and she knows scarily a lot about me. Well then again we have known each other since we were little. "You have to swear that you won't tell your grandfather! We're dealing with it, it won't be an issue for much longer!" I plead in a low voice.

Ariana's eyebrows shoot up, and a mystified look crosses her face. Okay, maybe she wasn't a hundred percent sure about the dragon. "I don't know Jamie. My grandfather pretty much knows everything that goes on in this castle." Ariana ponders. She sits back in her seat, and starts stroking my hand with her thumb.

"This is actually seriously dangerous Jamie, you got hurt, and Ron got hurt. Merlin knows that wherever Harry and Hermione are, they could get hurt too." She tells me.

"It won't be a problem anymore after tonight. We're getting rid of it, I swear. I don't want the bloody demon spawn here after it decided that I'd make a nice barbeque!" I exclaim softly. Ariana smiles at me softly. She lets out a puff of air, and sighs.

"Fine, but this better be the last time that I see you in here because of a dragon." She warns.

"What no warning me to stay out of the hospital wing?" I question. Ariana, let's go of my hand, and gets up from her seat. She laughs and shakes her head at me like I'm being silly.

"I know you Jamie, and asking that, would be asking for the impossible, just try not to kill yourself, you hear?" She says leaving me alone in the hospital once more. I chuckle softly, and a yawn breaks through. I lean back into my pillow, and let sleep overtake me. My dreams are mainly about three-headed demon hounds and baby hell dragons fighting to the death, but of them losing.


	10. The Forbidden Forest

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is by J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>10-The Forbidden Forest<span>

I think that it's safe to say that my friends and I should never plan another one of our escapades out. They seem to crash and burn if we plan them out before hand. Harry and Hermione got caught coming down from the Astronomy tower without the cloak, after they got rid of Norbert. Filch was only too pleased to bring them to Professor McGonagall.

She had been already dealing with the arsehole that is Malfoy of the smarmy white weasels. He had been out of bed trying to catch Harry and Hermione with Norbert so that they would get expelled. I am pretty much about ready to blast that pompous git right off the face of the earth. It didn't go well when everyone was together, and Neville ended up getting into trouble as well.

He had seen Malfoy, and he had gone to warn them. In all Malfoy lost Slytherin twenty points and got a detention. That seemed light compared to what happened to the Gryffindors. McGonagall had taken fifty points each and given them detention as well. In one night Gryffindor had lost 150 points, and the house cup with it.

I was crushed, but I tried not to show it, and make my friends feel even worse than they already do. My reaction wasn't nearly as bad as the rest of the school's though. At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the House points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.

From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the House Cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"

I felt bad for Harry, there's nothing worse than when you're famous and most people seem to hate your reason for being so. It was bad for Hermione and Neville as well. Not as bad as Harry, but people still glared at them and refused to speak with them.

I was mightily ticked off with pretty much everyone I knew except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Luka would grumble under his breath, that we were foolish Gryffindors that didn't think of anyone but ourselves. I smacked him in the head one day, and I haven't talked to him since. Even though Ariana knows most of why Harry and Hermione were out that night, she still keeps her distance, and my rage is simmering just under my skin at her.

The Weasley twins have been gits to my friends, so I've been giving them the cold shoulder, and I refuse to talk to them, until they come crawling back with an apology to Harry and Hermione for the way they've been acting. People are realizing that's its best to just stay clear of me since, I'm close to snapping all the time.

* * *

><p>I have never felt this helplessly furious before, and it's beginning to get to me. My friends are worried for me, but there's not much I can do about it. Harry has been so isolated at Quidditch practice with everyone calling him 'the seeker', that he tried to resign from the team. Wood just blew up at him, 'what good will that do? How will we get those points back if not through Quidditch?'" He roared.<p>

For the most part the four of us stayed quiet, and shut up in the library, working on our homework and studying for the exams that were slowly drawing closer. One day in the library, I was dying of boredom, while Hermione was quizzing Ron on astronomy. Harry came hurrying up to us, and started in on his story about how he'd overheard Quirrell in a classroom, being corner by someone and finally giving in.

It was official we were all toast, now Professor bat breath would get the stone and live forever to torture poor innocent students for the rest of their lives. "Snape's done it, then!" says Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell —"

"There's still Fluffy, though," Hermione points out, and I shudder. Stupid hellhound.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," Ron says, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"

The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could. I was looking forward to an adventure as well.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure." Hermione says with an air of finality.

"But we've got no proof!" Harry cries. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor — who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore will think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

Hermione looked convinced, but I wasn't.

"If we just do a bit of poking around —" I start.

"No," says Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around." I grumble and flop back into my seat, and Ron joins me, with a matching look of disappointment. Harry just pulls his map of Jupiter closer to him, and I left out a soft groan. Didn't I say that I wasn't meant to live in a library?

* * *

><p>The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same: Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall. I give the three of them sympathetic looks. I'm sure that I wouldn't want to be doing whatever that they're going to have to do.<p>

That night at eleven, we waved goodbye to Harry and Hermione as they climbed out of the portrait hole for their detention. I collapse back onto the couch with a sigh, and Ron flops down beside me. "Well this is rubbish." I state. Ron nods his head, in agreement, and hides a yawn with his hand.

We're both in our pajamas, his Chudley Cannons and bright orange, and mine dark blue with flying hippogriffs on them. "I think that we should still be looking around. Snape might get the stone any day now, and it will be all our fault, because we knew something, and didn't stop him." I say softly.

"Yeah can you imagine how much more powerful he'll be if he gets his ruddy hands on the stone? You and Harry will be goners for sure." Ron squeaks. I pat him arm reassuringly.

"We're just going to have to work harder at getting them to see reason, even if Gryffindor loses more points. We're talking about life and death here!" I exclaim. Ron nods his head, and we lean back on the couch further. I yawn, and get up to stretch out on the couch next to his.

"I— hope— they're— all right…" Ron yawns trailing off, and falling asleep. I make a sleepy agreeing sound, and slip off into my dreams, only this time they're slightly darker, and involve the four of us, running from a looming dark shape behind us.

* * *

><p>I groan, as I'm being shaken awake. I am so tired; no one should wake someone when they're sleeping! "Jamie…" Someone's calling my voice, as I'm woken from my dream. I open my eyes blearily, to see Hermione standing over me with a soft smile on her face. She looks slightly disheveled. I wonder what Filch had them doing?<p>

I sit up, and yawn mightily, and rub my eyes tiredly. Hermione sits down next to me, and we watch as Harry attempts to wake up Ron. We're still in the common room, and it's now three in the morning. I yawn again, and cuddle up next to Hermione, using her head as a pillow.

"Jamie…" She whines playfully, trying to shove me off, but I'm not to be moved. I'm far too comfortable to do that. Hermione surrenders, and I chuckle happily from my spot. Harry finally wakes Ron with a rough shake to the arm, and he bolts up calling about some Quidditch foul. I wake up more, and pull away from Hermione in shock as the pair starts telling us about their detention.

They had gone into the forbidden forest with Hagrid to look for what had been killing the unicorns lately. Harry explained about the cloaked figure that was drinking the poor creatures blood. He also explained about the centaurs, and the warnings that they had for him. I was now frozen in fear. Voldemort… he's back. The man who was after my parents, and whose minions killed my parents, is still alive in this world.

I shudder on the couch, and Hermione wraps her arm around my shoulder. "Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort . . . and Voldemort's waiting in the forest . . . and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich. . . ." Harry mutters, pacing back and forth.

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear us. I shake my head at that.

"It's only a name Ron." I say shakily. I was raised not to fear that name, even though that man still haunts my nightmares sometimes.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so. . . . Bane was furious . . . he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen. . . . They must show that Voldemort's coming back. . . . Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me. . . . I suppose that's written in the stars as well." Harry says ignoring all of us.

"Will you stop saying the name?" Ron hisses.

"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry goes on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off. . . . Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy." I shake my head back and forth.

No Voldemort will not taken more people that I care about. I will not let him take my best friend without a fight. Voldemort wants the stone so that he can come back to life fully, well no stone, no body, simple right? Hermione was white with fear next to me, but she was at least coming up with optimistic outlooks.

"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic." She says.

The sky had turned light before we stopped talking. Hermione and I bade the boys goodnight, and crawled upstairs to our dorm to sleep. I crawled under the covers of my bed, fearful of where my dreams would take me tonight. The day has been truly awful Voldemort is still out there, and he's waiting to get the stone, and we'll be there to stop him.


	11. Through the Trapdoor

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is by J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>11-Through the Trapdoor<span>

I'm honestly not sure how I managed to get through all of my end of year exams, when I was afraid that Voldemort was going to pop into the room at any second and come finish us all off. Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where we did our written papers. We had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

We had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called us one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched us turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made us all nervous, breathing down our necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

My pineapple managed to tap dance across the desk, but it also took up opera at the end for a little finale, Professor Flitwick smiled at me, and gave a wink to let me know that I was good. In transfiguration I managed to turn my mouse into a snuffbox with a beach pattern on it, waves at long the side. Not overly complex, but good. As for potions, I managed to make the potion acceptable, but not perfect, but hey if it works, I could care less.

The last and most unfortunate exam that we had was History of Magic. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to make it through that one. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and we'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until our exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told us to put down our quills and roll up our parchment, I couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," Hermione says as we join the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so we wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. I lay back with my arms cross under my head, and heaved a contented sigh.

I hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. I still wasn't talking to Luka because we had a big fight. He thought that I should distance myself from my friends, because they were going to get me into a lot of trouble these days. Ariana had been running around trying to get us to patch things up, but I won't even consider it. My friends won't get me killed, and that's the point of having friends, being there for them no matter what.

I'm still not happy with Ariana either but at least she apologized for acting like a git to my friends, and me. "No more studying," Ron sighs happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead. "I wish I knew what this means!" he bursts out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggests, looking over her notes.

"I'm not ill," Harry grumbles. "I think it's a warning . . . it means danger's coming. . . ."

Ron couldn't get worked up it was too hot. "Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down." Ron states. I smile uncomfortably.

I still can't help but think that Harry's right. Something bad is going to happen, and it's going to happen soon, I just wish that I'd know when so that I could be prepared. Harry suddenly jumps to his feet.

"Where're you going?" Ron mumbles sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," Harry says. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" Hermione pants, hurrying to keep up. I run along side Harry, waiting for him to explain.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry asks, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?" My mouth falls open in shock. No way.

"What are you talking about?" Ron demands, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. We hurry after him.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo," he says, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," Ron puffs, but Harry cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," says Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off." He saw the four of us look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one o' the pubs down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

"What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?" I ask softly.

"Mighta come up," Hagrid says, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah . . . he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here. . . . He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after . . . so I told him . . . an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon . . . an' then . . . I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks. . . . Let's see . . . yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted . . . but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home. . . . So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy. . . ."

"And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asks, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —" Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurts out. "Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?" We didn't stick around though. The four of us hightail it up to the castle where hopefully, we'll finally do something about this mess for a change.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," Harry pants. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

We looked around, sort of hoping to see a sign pointing us in the right direction. We had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did we know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to —" Harry starts, but a voice suddenly rings across the hall.

"What are you four doing inside?" It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," says Hermione, rather bravely, Harry, Ron, and I thought.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeats, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

" It's sort of secret," Harry says, but we wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she says coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" cries Harry frantically. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time —" she starts

"But this is important." I burst into the conversation.

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Pendragon?" McGonagall replies. I bite my lip.

"Look," Harry starts, throwing caution to the wind, "Professor — it's about the Sorcerer's Stone —"

I'm pretty sure that she didn't expect the four of us to bring that up. "How do you know — ?" she splutters.

"Professor, I think — I know — that Sn — that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." Harry stumbles. She eyes him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she says finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor —" I try again.

"Pendragon, I know what I'm talking about," she says shortly. She bends down and gathers up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." Yeah right like we're going to just lay back and do nothing now.

"It's tonight," says Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

"But what can we —" Hermione gasped. Harry, Ron, and I wheeled round.

Snape was standing there. I bite back a groan of frustration, but my fear goes up as well.

"Good afternoon." He says smoothly, eyeing the four of us suspiciously. "You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he says, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were —" Harry begins, without any idea what he was going to say.

"You want to be more careful," Snape says. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Harry flushes. We turn to go outside, but Snape calls us back.

"Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you." He strode off in the direction of the staffroom. Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to us.

"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispers urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape — wait outside the staffroom and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that." He instructs.

"Why me?" Hermione demands, looking a little scared.

"It's obvious," Ron says. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong. . . .'"

"Oh, shut up," Hermione snaps, but she agrees to go and watch out for Snape.

"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron and me. "Come on."

But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had we reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turns up again and this time, she lost her temper.

"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she storms. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own House!"

Harry and Ron make their way back to the common room, but I go looking for Ariana. Its looking more and more like we're going to have to do something, and I need to clear a few things up before this happens. I find her back outside in the sunshine with her friends. "Hey, can we talk?" I ask her. She glances at her friends and nods her head.

Ariana follows me, as we start to walk around the lake. "What's up? And don't say nothing because I can read you like an open book Pendragon!" She warns. I chuckle softly, and pick up a stone from the shore, throwing it into the lake and skipping it four times.

"Um… I think that we're going to be doing something pretty stupid soon." I admit to her. Ariana freezes next to me, and tugs me around so that she can see my face. Her brown eyes are pleading with me to tell her what's going on. "I'm pretty sure that you have a good idea of what's going on at the school. You know what your grandfather is keeping safe." I tell her. Ariana pales, and her hand starts trembling.

"We think that someone's going to try to steal it tonight, we tried telling your grandfather, but he's in London, and we told McGonagall but she doesn't believe us. So we're going to stop them. We're ready, and we need to do this. I wanted you to…" I start but trail off. Ariana sniffs, but gives my hand a squeeze.

"What do you need me to do Jamie?" She asks me softly. I swallow the lump that's grown in my throat.

"I need you to tell my brother that I forgive him, but I'm never abandoning my friends. Tell him that I needed to do this, and that he'll understand why later. Can you tell him that, and can you remind him that I love him?" I ask, my voice beginning to crack. Ariana shakes her head.

"No Jamie… you have to tell him yourself, go find him right now!" She cries. I shake my head.

"He won't listen to me now, you know how we Pendragons are, stubborn till the end. Tell him, please." I beg with her for the first time in my life. Ariana swallow loudly, but nods her head. I give her a quick hug, and turn to go find my friends.

"Jamie wait!" She calls after me. She catches up to me, and stares into my eyes. "Remember our Herbology lessons, I'm sure they'll become helpful to you." She tells me cryptically. With that she walks away, with one last glance backwards to me.

* * *

><p>I meet my friends up in our common room. "There you are!" Hermione cries upon seeing me.<p>

"Where have you been?" Harry demands coming up, and pulling me over to the secluded corner of the room, they're sitting in.

"I've had stuff to take care of." I reply, sitting down next to Ron at he table. Ron fills me in that Hermione lost sight of Snape after Flitwick secretly told her that she had gotten 112 percent on the exam.

"You got the same score Jamie, he told me since we're friends." Hermione tells me distracted from her hushed conversation with Harry. Harry looks miffed but quickly grabs all our attention again.

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said. We stared at him. He is pale and his eyes are glittering. "I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try to get to the Stone first."

"You're mad!" Ron cries.

"You can't!" Hermione argues. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"

"SO WHAT?" Harry shouts. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the House Cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?" He demands.

We sit there in shocked silence for a few minutes. "What do you need us to do?" I ask. I was prepared to go tonight all along. I had made peace with my decision before I even showed up here.

"You're right, Harry," Hermione says in a small voice.

"I'll use the Invisibility Cloak," says Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."

"But will it cover all four of us?" Ron wonders.

"All — all four of us?" Harry stutters. I glare at the stupid boy.

"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?" I snap at him.

"Of course not," Hermione replies briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful. . . ."

"But if we get caught, you three will be expelled, too." Harry flounders. I laugh at him, and give him a big grin.

"That's what best friends are for Harry. Besides, Voldemort caused my parents deaths as well, I'm not letting him just waltz right back into power." I say my voice hardening at the end of the sentence. This isn't going to be easy, but we have to do it, someone has to try.

* * *

><p>After dinner the four of us sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered us; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments we were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do. I was just hoping that Ariana had talked to my brother.<p>

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed. "Better get the Cloak," Ron mutters, as Lee Jordan finally leaves, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He comes back down with the cloak and his flute from Hagrid. "We'd better put the Cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us — if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own —" He starts.

"What are you doing?" says a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appears from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing," Harry says, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back. Neville stared at our guilty faces.

"You're going out again," He cries.

"No, no, no," I tell him. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?" Harry looks at the grandfather clock by the door. We couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.

"You can't go out," Neville disagrees, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," Harry says, "this is important." But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

"I won't let you do it," He cries, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!"

" Neville," Ron explodes, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" Neville snaps. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us," Ron says exasperatedly. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." He takes a step forward and Neville drops Trevor the toad, who leaps out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" says Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!" Harry turned to Hermione.

"Do something," He says desperately. Hermione stepped forward.

"Neville," she says, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raises her wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she cries, pointing it at Neville. I wince. Neville's arms snap to his sides. His legs spring together. His whole body rigid, he sways where he stands and then falls flat on his face, stiff as a board.

Hermione runs to turn him over. Neville's jaws are jammed together so he can't speak. Only his eyes are moving, looking at us in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispers.

"It's the full Body-Bind," Hermione says miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry." I go over to the couch, and grab a cushion. I kneel down and slide it under Neville's head so that he's at least a little more comfortable.

"I'm sorry Neville, you'll understand later." I whisper.

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," Harry says.

"You'll understand later, Neville," Ron explains as we step over him and pull on the Invisibility Cloak. But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In our nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on us.

At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top. "Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispers in Harry's ear, but Harry shakes his head. As we climb carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turns her lamp like eyes on us, but didn't do anything.

We didn't meet anyone else until we reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

"Who's there?" he says suddenly as we climb toward him. He narrows his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?" He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at us.

"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

Harry had a sudden idea. "Peeves," he croaks, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."

Peeves almost falls out of the air in shock. He catches himself in time and hovers about a foot off the stairs. "So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir," he says greasily. "My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."

"I have business here, Peeves," Harry croaks again. "Stay away from this place tonight."

"I will, sir, I most certainly will," says Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."

And he scoots off. "Brilliant, Harry!" whispers Ron.

A few seconds later, we were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar. "Well, there you are," Harry says quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy."

Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all four of us what was facing us. Underneath the Cloak, Harry turns to us.

"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he says. "You can take the Cloak, I won't need it now."

"Don't be stupid," Ron says.

"We're coming," Hermione rolls her eyes.

"I was ready to go before you even said that we were going to come here." I scoff.

Harry pushes the door open. As the door creaks, low, rumbling growls meet our ears. All three of the dog's noses sniff madly in our direction, even though it can't see us.

"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispers.

"Looks like a harp," Ron replies. "Snape must have left it there."

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," Harry points out. "Well, here goes . . ." He puts Hagrid's flute to his lips and blows. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it totters on its paws and falls to its knees, then it slumps to the ground, fast asleep.

"Keep playing," Ron warns Harry as we slipped out of the Cloak and creep toward the trapdoor. We could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as we approached the giant heads. I gulped, and tried to keep my fear in check. Nice sleeping giant three-headed demon hound that's improperly named Fluffy.

"I think we'll be able to pull the door open," I say, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?" Ron asks her.

"No, I don't!" She hisses back.

"All right." Ron grits his teeth and steps carefully over the dog's legs. He bends and pulls the ring of the trapdoor, which swings up and open.

"What can you see?" Hermione asks anxiously.

"Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." I tell her. Harry, who is still playing the flute, waves at Ron to get his attention and points at himself.

"You want to go first? Are you sure?" Ron asks. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."

Harry hands the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growls and twitches, but the moment Hermione begins to play, it falls back into its deep sleep. I'm shaking by that small display. Okay never getting a dog when I'm older, never. Harry climbs over it and looks down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.

He lowers himself through the hole until he is hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looks up at Ron, and me and says, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"

"Right," Ron agrees. I smile at Harry nervously trying to be helpful.

"See you in a minute, I hope. . . ." Harry mutters, and he drops through the trap door. I bite my lower lip worriedly, and hope that my friend's all right. "It's okay! It's a soft landing!" Harry calls up from the trap door. I motion for Ron to go next, he swallows, and jump down the hold. Hermione makes her way over to me, and I give her a nervous smile. She indicates for me to jump next. I nod my head, and go up to the hole.

With a deep breath I jump. Air whooshes by me, and I land with a soft thump, on the ground. I scramble up, and trip over to a wall, and onto stone. It's dark in here, and I can just see the outline of something lumpy and moving. "Come on Hermione!' Ron shouts up. The music stops, and Hermione comes falling though the hole and lands with a thump.

"What is this stuff?" Ron asks.

"We must be miles under the school," Hermione comments.

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," Ron says.

"Lucky!" shrieks Hermione. "Look at you both!" I struggle to make out my friends, but what I see shocks me. The three of them have plant vines covering them, crawling up they're bodies. Harry and Ron are nearly covered.

"Stop moving!" Hermione orders them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," Ron snarls, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione cries. Ariana's earlier words come back to me 'remember our Herbology lessons'. The light bulb clicks on in my head. I pull my wand out and point it at the plant.

"Incendio!" I shout. A jet of wire shoots out of the tip of my wand, and the plant starts recoiling in fear. After a minute the three of them manage to untangle themselves, and we're all safely by the wall.

"Boy am I glad that you pay attention in Herbology Jamie." Harry puffs, and Ron pats my back. Hermione smiles at me, and gives my hand a squeeze. I'm pleased, but they nearly died at the second trap, what's going to happen as we go on? Ariana knew about this trap, so she definitely knows more than she should.

"This way," Harry says, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward. All we could hear apart from our footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. A shiver runs down my spine.

"Can you hear something?" Ron asks us. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Do you think it's a ghost?" Hermione asks.

"I don't know . . . sounds like wings to me." I say confused.

"There's light ahead — I can see something moving." Harry responds.

We reached the end of the passageway and saw before us a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above us. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber is a heavy wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" Ron questions.

"Probably," Harry agrees. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once . . . well, there's no other choice . . . I'll run." Harry takes a deep breath and runs across the room, arms over his head, but none of the bird things swoop down to attack him. We followed him across the room, tugging at the door, but it wouldn't budge. Hermione even tried Alohomora on it.

"Now what?" Ron groans slumping slightly in defeat. Hermione and I stare up at the oddly twinkling birds.

"Those aren't birds…" I say.

"They're keys!" Hermione cries. I glance over to the other wall.

"Look they're broomsticks!" I shout. Harry, Ron, and I run over to them, each grasping a broom.

"There are hundreds of them! How are we going to be able to find the one we need?" Harry asks. Ron examines the lock on the door.

"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle." He says with finality. We look at him shocked. "What, you live with the twins long enough, you learn how to figure out locks!" He cries. I grin at him, and the three of us mount our brooms. Hermione is going to stay on the ground, and catch the key when we throw it at her, so she can open the door. She really doesn't like flying brooms.

We spent a few minutes grabbing and snatching at keys, but none of them were the right one. Harry being the youngest seeker in a century spotted it first. "There!" He cries. The key was large and silver, and had a bent wing. It looked as if someone had caught it once before.

"We've got to close in on it!" Harry calls, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above — Jamie, stay below and stop it from going down — and I'll try to catch it. Right, NOW!"

Ron dives down, I rocket up, and Harry grabs for the key. Harry caught it, and with a nasty crunch, slapped it against the stone. Hermione's cheers come from below. We fly down, and Harry tosses her the key, she catches it, and inserts the poor key into the lock. The door clicks open. We glance at each other once we're on the ground, and open the door.

The next chamber was so dark we couldn't see anything at all. But as we stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. We were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than we are and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing us, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I shivered slightly — the towering white chessmen had no faces.

"What do we do?" Harry asks quietly.

"Play our way across." I respond with dread. There's a reason why I hate this stupid stone, we're going to have to risk our lives as human chessmen, on the board of death. Behind the white pieces we could see another door.

"How?" Hermione asks nervously.

"I think," Ron says, "we're going to have to be chessmen."

He walks up to a black knight and puts his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone springs to life. The horse paws the ground and the knight turns his helmeted head and looks down at Ron.

"Do we — er — have to join you to get across?" He asks uncertainly. The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.

"This needs thinking about. . . ." he says. "I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces. . . ."

Harry, Hermione, and I stay quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he says, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but none of you are that good at chess —"

"We're not offended," Harry says quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle. Jamie I want you to take the place of the queen." Ron instructs us. I gulp, that's a risky choice, and the queen is an important piece.

"What about you?" Hermione asks him.

"I'm going to be a knight," Ron says. The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, a castle, and the queen turn their backs on the white pieces and walk off the board, leaving four empty squares that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I take.

"White always plays first in chess," Ron says, peering across the board. "Yes . . . look . . ." A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. My knees were trembling. What if we lost?

"Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right." Ron orders. Our first real shock came when our other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown. I whimpered at the violence that was shown.

"Had to let that happen," Ron explains, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Every time one of our men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry, Hermione, and I were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as we had lost black ones.

"We're nearly there," he mutters suddenly. "Let me think — let me think . . ."

The white queen turned her blank face toward him. "Yes . . ." Ron says softly, "it's the only way . . . I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Harry, Hermione, and I shout.

"That's chess!" Ron snaps. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I'll make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But —" Hermione starts.

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?" Ron growls.

"Ron —" I try.

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" He yells. There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Ron calls, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won." He steps forward, and the white queen pounces. She strikes Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashes to the floor — Hermione screams but stays on her square — the white queen drags Ron to one side. He looks as if he's been knocked out. I gulp, and try to stop the tears that want to come at the sight of my limp friend.

Shaking, Harry moves three spaces to the left. The white king takes off his crown and throws it at Harry's feet. We had won. The chessmen part and bow, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I charge through the door and up the next passageway.

"What if he's — ?" Hermione worries

"He'll be all right," Harry says, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?"

"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's . . ." I list counting off the deterrents and teachers out loud.

We had reached another door. "All right?" Harry whispers.

"Go on." We prod him. Harry pushes it open.

A disgusting smell filled our nostrils, making us pull our robes up over our noses. Eyes watering, we saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one we had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. I whimpered.

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispers as we step carefully over one of its massive legs.

"Come on, I can't breathe." I say.

Harry pulls open the next door, all of us hardly daring to look at what came next — but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line. "Snape's," Harry says. "What do we have to do?"

We step over the threshold, and immediately a fire springs up behind us in the doorway. It isn't ordinary fire either; it is purple. At the same instant, black flames shoot up in the doorway leading onward. We were trapped.

"Look!" Hermione seizes a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry and I look over her shoulder to read it:

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

Hermione lets out a great sigh and I'm amazed to see that she is smiling, the very last thing I felt like doing. "Brilliant," Hermione says. "This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

"But so will we, won't we?" Harry asks, and I shift nervously. I may be smart, but not that smart.

"Of course not," Hermione snaps. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."

"But how do we know which to drink?" I ask.

"Give me a minute." She cries. Hermione reads the paper several times. Then she walks up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she claps her hands.

"Got it," she says. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone." Harry and I look at the tiny bottle.

"There's only enough there for two of us," he says. "There's hardly two swallows."

We look at each other.

"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?" Harry asks. Hermione points at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.

"You drink that," Harry says. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."

"Oh no boy wonder, I'm going with you. Snape will have a harder time getting through the two of us!" I tell him with a glare. Harry glares right back at me, then sighs. "Fine." He says.

Hermione glances back and forth at the two of us her eyes watering. Hermione's lip trembles, and she suddenly dashes at Harry and throws her arms around him.

"Hermione!" Harry cries.

"Harry — you're a great wizard, you know." She tells him.

"I'm not as good as you," Harry says, very embarrassed, as she lets go of him.

"Me!" Hermione says. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry — be careful!" She then turns to me, and latches onto me with a crushing force.

"You be care Jamie Pendragon, you're braver then what's probably good for you. You're a funny, kind, and creative girl, who's my best friend. Don't you dare die and leave me alone with only Lavender and Parvati in the dorm." Hermione tells me, squeezing me one last time.

"You drink first," Harry tells her. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"

"Positive," Hermione replies. She takes a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shudders.

"It's not poison?" says Harry anxiously.

"No — but it's like ice." She shivers.

"Quick, go, before it wears off." I tell her.

"Good luck — take care —" Hermione start but we cut her off.

"GO!" We shout in unison. Hermione turns and walks straight through the purple fire. We don't see her again. Harry and I exchange a look.

"I'm not going back." I tell him firmly. Harry grins at me softly.

"I wasn't asking you to. You ready for this?" He asks picking up the smallest bottle and handing it to me. I grin at him, and take a sip. I shudder as the icy liquid slides down my throat, and through my body. I hold out the bottle, and Harry does the same.

After Harry convulses and we grab each other's hands and step through the black flames, and into the final chamber, what greets us is shocking.

There was already someone there — but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort. I was floored.


	12. The Man with Two Faces

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is by J.K. Rowling.

* * *

><p><span>12-The Man with Two Faces<span>

The person in the last chamber was probably the last person that I ever expected to see there except probably Dumbledore. Standing there in front of the towering mirror that I remembered from break is Quirrell.

"You!" Harry gasps. Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.

"Me," He says calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter. I wasn't expecting you to bring Pendragon with you as well, but never fear, she's a welcome addition."

"But I thought — Snape —" I say trying to wrap my head around what's going on.

"Severus?" Quirrell laughs, and it wasn't his usual quivering tremble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" I feel my hands clench into fists by my side.

"But Snape tried to kill me!" Harry cries disbelieving.

"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter curse, trying to save you." He spits.

"Snape was trying to save me?" Harry asks shocked. I don't know what to believe anymore.

"Of course," says Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really . . . he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular . . . and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight, and get a Pendragon as a bonus." He smiles cruelly.

Quirrell snapped his fingers and ropes appear binding both of us where we stand. I struggle against the bindings, but they wouldn't give. "You're both too nosy to live, Potter, Pendragon. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone." I shoot a look at Harry; he looks just as grim as I am.

"You let the troll in?" I ask.

"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly.

"Now, wait quietly, you two. I need to examine this interesting mirror." Quirrell says, and turns his attention back to the mirror. I start trying to inch closer to the wall. A fire is burning in one of the braziers, if I can get close enough, I could burn the ropes binding me away.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmurs, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this . . . but he's in London . . . I'll be far away by the time he gets back. . . ."

Harry starts talking to Quirrell trying to distract him, while I keep on shuffling, trying to not tip myself over and on the floor. "I saw you and Snape in the forest —" he blurts out.

"Yes," says Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me — as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side. . . ."

Quirrell comes back out from behind the mirror and stares hungrily into it. "I see the Stone . . . I'm presenting it to my master . . . but where is it?"

"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much." Harry says.

"Oh, he does," says Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing — I thought Snape was threatening you. . . ." Harry cries. For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes," he says, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions — he is a great wizard and I am weak —"

"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasps. I'm almost to the brazier, when I become off-balance, I try to stop myself from falling but it's no good, I topple over sideways, slicing myself on the sharp edges of the brazier, and cutting the binding on my arms. I hiss in pain as I hit the floor.

Harry falters in his discussion, hearing me in pain, but Quirrell doesn't seem to realize that I'm on the ground, and now part way free.

"He is with me wherever I go," says Quirrell "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it. . . . Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivers suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me . . . decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me. . . ."

Quirrell cursed under his breath. "I don't understand . . . is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?" I slowly twist around onto my knees. I can finally see what's going on again.

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!" Quirrell cries.

And to our horror, a voice answers, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy . . . Use the boy . . ." The voice hisses.

Quirrell rounded on Harry. "Yes — Potter — come here." Quirrell snaps. He claps his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fall off. Harry gets slowly to his feet.

"Come here," Quirrell repeats. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry walks toward him.

I watched as Harry looked at his reflection. I was working on the ropes around my ankles, and I think that I've finally gotten them to come loose. Yes, they finally slip loose, and I pull them off. I blink and it looks like one of Harry's pockets has gotten bigger. His eyes widen slightly, and I know what happened. He has the stone.

"Well?" says Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invents. "I — I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor." Quirrell cursed again.

"Get out of the way," he snaps.

I get to my feet, and creep forward, grabbing Harry by the hand. He clutches mine tightly with fear. I tug on his arm, trying to get him to move back with me.

"He lies . . . He lies . . ." The voice rasps.

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouts. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"

The high voice spoke again. "Let me speak to him . . . face-to-face. . . ."

"Master, you are not strong enough!" Quirrell pleads

"I have strength enough . . . for this. . . ." The voice fades.

Then the freakiest thing yet happens. Quirrell reaches up to his turbaned head, and starts unraveling it. I start to shake, and Harry squeezes my hand tighter. I let out a strangled whimper when I saw what was underneath the turban. On the other side of Quirrell's face was another, a horrible terrible face. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"Harry Potter . . ." it whispers. I swallow, and move my body in front of Harry's. The face narrow's its eyes at me.

"I-if you want to get Harry… you'll have to go through me first." I say with a slight stutter.

"You're a Pendragon aren't you… yes I can see the resemblance to your parents. So much courage for one so young, you remind me of them. They insisted in defying me to the end as well. Step aside girl, and I'll let you live." The voice hisses at me. I swallow, and shake my head.

"I'd rather die then give you Harry V-Voldemort." I stutter, saying his name, the faces growls, red eyes narrowing at me in contempt.

"Then you shall die like your parents as well!" He shouts. "Quirrell, kill her!" I push backward taking Harry with me.

"Jamie run!" Harry shouts. I shake my head and pull my wand out, aiming it at the wizard approaching me. I stay in front of Harry stubbornly. In a way I always knew that this would happen, I knew that I would stand in front of my friend, doing my best to keep him from harm, that's what friends do. I try to stupefy him, but Quirrell just flicks my spell away.

A mumbled word and a flashing light is one of the last things that I see before I'm thrown to the ground, crying out in pain, clutching my stomach. I can hear Harry calling my name, but he seems suddenly so far away. The voice is speaking again, trying to reason with Harry. No it's not a voice it's Voldemort, with that realization, I pass into a dark world where the pain in my stomach can no longer reach me.

* * *

><p>The world is coming in in shades of gray and white. The first thing that I really notice is the slight burning pain in my middle. I groan in discomfort, and peel my eyelids open a little. Bright white light hits them, and I squeeze my eyes shut instantly. "Ah… I see that you're awake." A soft voice says.<p>

I try to open my eyes again, and I find that I can see clearly through them. Professor Dumbledore is sitting in a chair next to my bedside. Okay… so I'm not dead, that's something at least Wait! "Sir, Harry!" I say, trying to pull myself up into a sitting position. Dumbledore slowly pushes me back down when I wince.

"Mr. Potter is perfectly fine Miss Pendragon, he is just resting at the moment. It is you that I am worried for at the moment Jamie." Dumbledore tells me softly. I let the breath go that I'd been holding.

"You heard about what happened?" I ask. Professor Dumbledore nods his head at me, and leans back in the chair beside my bed.

"Yes, I arrived at the tail end of your adventure. Rest assured that the stone is destroyed, and Quirrell is no longer a problem." He says.

"What about V-Voldemort?" I ask a shudder running through me. Dumbledore sighs, and closes his eyes for a second.

"He has gone— vanished, we have been not been able to find any trace of him." He responds.

"But… he's not dead. He left Quirrell to die, but he's not dead himself." I state, feeling my blood run cold. A warm hand takes mine. I glance up into the twinkling light blue of Dumbledore's eyes.

"Do not fear Jamie, for Voldemort is far too weak to return to power, for he does not even have a body. So put your fears out of you for now young Pendragon. Now I ask again, how are you?" He questions. I bite my lower lip, and adjust my position a little.

"I'm fine Professor. I just… I just can't believe everything that happened. Oh no! Ron, Hermione! Are they okay?" I ask. Dumbledore smiles at me.

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger have been demanding to see the two of you for quite some time since you came in two days ago. Your brother Luka has been kicking up a storm as well. He is very worried for you. My granddaughter Ariana is also very upset. She seemed to think that you were in some form of danger. You were." He tells me. I nod my head softly.

"H-he was going to hurt Harry… I wasn't going to let him. No one else deserves to hurt people like that professor, he killed Harry's parents… he set up my parents' death." I say softly. Dumbledore nods gravely.

"You are a courageous and admirable girl Jamie. I daresay that given the time, you'll truly turn into an accomplished young woman. I'll let you get your rest though, you have some very worried friends and family." He reminds me, and with that my private meeting with Dumbledore comes to an end.

* * *

><p>Madam Pomfrey was a nice nurse, but a strict one. It took Harry and me ten minute to convince her to allow our friends in. When the doors opened, Luka came flying through. He raced over to me, and threw me into a hug, even though I was still sore.<p>

"Luka!" I cry half strangled to death. My brother doesn't say anything. He just holds me to him, like he's never going to let my go ever again. The reunions were light, happy, and tearful. My brother apologized for fighting with me. He said that I was a courageous friend, and that I was the best sister, and that he was so thrilled that I didn't die.

When my friends were able to come into the hospital wing, Harry and I told them everything that went on in the final chamber that neither of them went into. Ron and Hermione were a good audience, oohing and aahing in the right places, and Hermione even squeaked in fear at the parts where I was hit, and Harry hurt Quirrell with his bare hands.

"My mum died protecting me, so that's why he wasn't able to hurt me. Her love surrounds me, and hurts those who want to hurt me in turn." Harry explains a puzzled look on his face. Ron and Hermione explain what had happened to them, since we were still worried, even though they look fine before us.

"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round — that took a while — and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall — he already knew — he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor." Hermione explains.

I tune out the rest of the conversation, for they doubt Dumbledore, and by now if there's anything I trust, it's him explicitly. "Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," Ron says proudly. "Listen, you two got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course — you both missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you — but the food will be good." I groaned at the thought, of us losing the game.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT," She cries, shooing Ron and Hermione out with a vengeance.

* * *

><p>By the next day we were feeling much better, and begging to go to the end of the year feast. If I wasn't allowed to go, I would be sneaking out of her army style, to hell with the consequences, I just fought a demon dog, possessed plants, flying keys, real life giant chessmen, and a two faced teacher, with the devil in his head. I think that I deserve some good food after all that!<p>

Madam Pomfrey allows us to go grudgingly, and I try and let Harry and Hagrid have their moment together, when he comes charging into the wing worried. Hagrid ends up hugging both of us, and giving Harry an album of his parents, for he didn't have any pictures of them in the first place. I smile at Hagrid for the thoughtful gesture, and Harry gives him a hug as thanks.

Harry and I make our way to the Great Hall alone. Madam Pomfrey held us up, insisting that we needed just one last checkup before she could let us go. I of course rolled my eyes at this, but let her work all the same. I was becoming a frequent flyer around here, and I didn't want to give her any more reasons to be fussy with me. When we made it to the Great Hall, it fell silent with a whole lot of whispers.

Harry didn't like them at all. Even I am starting to have a problem with them. The hall is deck out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the House Cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table. I groaned to myself, as Harry sat down next to Ron, and I sat next to Hermione. They both smiled at us, and I gave an unsure one back.

I can't believe that Slytherin won again. Well I guess that that just means that I'll have to work harder next year, and crush them into the ground. Dumbledore saves us from the uncomfortable silence, and kids standing on their benches to get a good look at the two of us.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore says cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were . . . you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts. . . .

"Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two." A whole cacophony of applause broke out at the Slytherin table. It sickened me to see the smarmy weasel bang his goblet on the table.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," says Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The room goes very still. The Slytherins' smiles fade a little.

"Ahem," says Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes . . .

"First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley . . ."Ron goes purple in the face; he looks like a radish with a bad sunburn. ". . . for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House forty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy was heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again.

"Second — to Miss Hermione Granger . . . for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House forty points." Hermione buried her face in her arms; I strongly suspect that she burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves — they were eighty points up.

"Third— to Miss Jamie Pendragon… for the fierce courage and loyalty to her friends that knows no bounds, I award Gryffindor House forty points." A blush comes to my cheeks as my housemates roar they're approval. My brother shouts that I'm his sister, and brags to all his friends, and I glance at the Hufflepuff table to find Ariana grinning at me. Hermione grasps my hand tightly, as Harry and Ron thump my on the shoulder from across the table.

We are now a hundred and twenty points up. "Third — to Mr. Harry Potter . . ." says Dumbledore. The room goes deadly quiet. ". . . for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House fifty points." The hall went wild. We had just beaten Slytherin right there. Everyone was shouting and cheering Harry on. I grin at my friends this is great we beat stinking Slytherin. Dumbledore raises his hand for silence, and we all fall in line slowly.

"There are all kinds of courage," Dumbledore says, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom." The hall was now deafening we had won the cup, and with more points than Slytherin had ever had! We had 495 points! Everyone was hugging and clapping for a stunned Neville, he had never won Gryffindor so much as a point over the whole year! I was proud of him.

"Which means," Dumbledore calls over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."

He claps his hands. In an instant, the green hangings become scarlet and the silver become gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanishes and a towering Gryffindor lion takes its place. Snape is shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. I couldn't help the earsplitting grin that was on my face. With Quidditch, adventure, a castle, and great friends, I was never going to forget this moment out of all of it. This was the best!

* * *

><p>We had all forgotten that we were getting our exams results back with all the excitement that was going on. Ron and Harry didn't do as badly as they thought that they would. They didn't even fail any classes. Hermione was the top of our year understandably. She always was worried about nothing. I did well to say the least. History of Magic was by far my lowest grade.<p>

The next day came and our rooms were cleaned out, and trunks were packing with clothes, books, and robes all thrown together haphazardly, for no one really wanted to deal with everything. We were all looking forward to our summer break, well everyone except for Harry. He was dragging his feet all the way back to the train station. He hated the muggles that he lived with, and I felt bad for him.

The train ride back was fun, with everyone eating Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans, and seeing who got the worst flavor. We had an exploding snap contest, and Luka came to spend the last hour of the train ride with us, Ariana stopping in our compartment every so often. I had gotten to thank her for talking with my brother. She had told me that it was fine, but I should never put her in that position again. She hated seeing the look on his face, when he realized that he might have lost me forever.

When the train finally pulled into Platform 9 ¾, we started making plans for the summer. "You guys must come and stay this summer," says Ron, "all of you — I'll send you an owl."

"Thanks," Harry says, "I'll need something to look forward to." I give him a sad smile, and pat him on the back encouragingly. The five of us head through the barrier into the train station, leaving behind the people calling out Harry's and my names. Once we were through the barrier the families assaulted us.

"There he is, Mum, there he is, look!" A small redheaded girl cried. It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.

"Harry Potter!" she squeals. "Look, Mum! I can see —"

"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point." Mrs. Weasley smiles down at us. "Busy year?" she asks.

"Very," replies Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh, it was nothing, dear." She replies. I thank her as well and turn in time to see Kingsley running down the crowded platform to us.

"Jamie! Luka!" He cries. Luka and I drop our trunks, and run into our guardian's outstretched arms. He crushes us in a tight hug. "Oh it's been too long you two!" He says placing us back down on the ground. Kingsley grabs me by the shoulders, and looks me straight into my eye.

"You scared the living daylights out of me child. You could have gotten killed, and I think you understand that by now. Don't put me through that again, I am so incredibly proud of you." He says. I smile at him softly, and he pulls me into another hug while kissing the top of my head.

When he pulls back I spend my time introducing Kingsley to my friends. That's when Harry's family finally decides to show up. "Ready are you?" A plump walrus of a man growls waddling up to us. His beady little eyes take all of us in, and I feel instantly judged and found lacking in some way. Mrs. Weasley tries to talk to the man, but he doesn't respond to her.

Harry sighs, and gives us all final hugs and starts away. Before he gets too far, I run after him. "Harry." I cry tugging on his shirtsleeve. Harry stops, and his family glares at me, but I only turn my back to them, and lower my voice. "They don't know that you can't do magic at home." I whisper into his ear. When I pull away Harry is grinning from ear to ear.

"Have a nice summer Jamie, I'll see you soon." Harry tells me. I grin in return.

"See ya Harry boy, I'm not going anywhere." I reply turning, and heading back to my family and friends.

THE END


	13. Sequel

Sequel:

By Your Side

**Thank you all for following Jamie's story to the end. She is not done yet though. Jamie will be growing another year older and facing new challenges and fears during her second year at Hogwarts. Again, thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoy. Feel free to leave a comment, I swear that I don't bite, I just like writing stories.**


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